Russian President Vladimir Putin has appointed a new general to direct the war in Ukraine as his military plans change after a failed takeover of Kiev, according to an American official and a European official.
The officers told the CNN that General Alexander Dvornikov, commander of Russia’s Southern Military District, was appointed commander of the Russian military campaign in Ukraine.
“This represents an acknowledgment by Russia that it is doing extremely badly and they need to do something different,” the European official said.
A new commander with extensive combat experience could bring a level of coordination to an attack now expected to focus on the Donbass region rather than multiple fronts.
Dvornikov, 60, was the first commander of Russia’s military operations in Syria after Putin sent troops to the country in September 2015 to support the government of President Bashar al-Assad.
During Dvornikov’s command in Syria, from September 2015 to June 2016, Russian planes supported the Assad regime and its allies by encircling eastern Aleppo, bombing densely populated neighborhoods and causing heavy civilian casualties. The city fell into the hands of Syrian government forces in December 2016.
Russian forces used a similar approach in parts of Ukraine, attacking residential buildings in major cities and demolishing much of the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol.
“We will see how effective this proves to be,” the European official declared. “Russian doctrine, Russian tactics continue to be pretty much what they have been since Afghanistan.”
“They do things the same way they used to,” he added.
US military analysts and officials familiar with intelligence assessments have speculated that Russian generals are aiming to present Putin with some tangible progress on the battlefield ahead of “Victory Day” on May 9, when Russia looks on. the defeat of Nazi Germany and traditionally marks the occasion with a parade in Moscow’s Red Square.
The European official described it as a “self-imposed deadline” that could lead the Russians to make additional mistakes.
But it could also potentially lead Russian forces to commit more atrocities, as allegedly happened in suburban Kiev and Bucha during the Russian occupation. “The stench of these war crimes will hang over these Russian armed forces for many years to come,” the official said.
Former British ambassador to Russia Sir Roderic Lyne claimed on Saturday to Sky News that Moscow had appointed a new general with a “pretty savage track record in Syria to at least try to gain some territory in Donetsk, which Putin could present as a victory”.
Assigning a new commander general to Russia’s war in Ukraine could be an attempt to create a more cohesive strategy. THE CNN previously reported that Russia did not have a commander for operations in Ukraine, meaning units from different Russian military districts are operating without coordination and sometimes with cross-objectives, according to two US defense officials.
The US has previously assessed that Putin would likely appoint a general whose forces are operating in southern Ukraine because that is where the Russians have taken and held more territory, as opposed to a Russian proposal to encircle Kiev and cities in northern Ukraine in an effort. which recently ended with a withdrawal.
Ukraine’s General Staff said on Friday that Russian forces had completed their withdrawal from Ukraine’s northern region of Sumy, while continuing to build up forces in the east of the country.
Source: CNN Brasil
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