The Russian government has installed a new general to oversee its continued invasion of Ukraine, prompting fears of more brutality and violence as the "Butcher of Syria" becomes the latest leader of the country's military forces.
President Vladimir Putin's new official, 60-year-old Gen. Aleksandr Dvornikov, previously commanded Russia's southern military district. He led the crushing military operations in Ukraine's Donbas region and in Syria. The attacks led to the massacres of tens of thousands of civilians.
The "Butcher of Syria"
The appointment of the new general comes as Russia is now 46 days into its invasion of Ukraine and moves to shift its focus to the eastern parts of its neighboring country. The situation follows Moscow's failed attempts to take over the capital Kyiv.
On Monday, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby warned of Dvornikov's reputation and his alleged disregard for avoiding civilian casualties, including infrastructure. The American official said that the Russian general also ignored the laws of war and laws of armed conflict, as per The Hill.
Dvornikov is known to be one of Russia's most experienced and also most notorious military leaders. The United Nations claimed that the general led military troops that killed more than 350,000 in the Syrian conflict. Dvornikov allegedly ordered his forces to destroy cities and drop barrel bombs that displaced millions of residents.
A Syrian army defector, Lt. Col. Fares al-Bayoush, said that he was expecting a ruthless strategy from the Russian general, arguing that troops under his control will engage in concurrent "rapid battles" around Ukraine. Furthermore, Dvornikov could use the "scorched earth policy" that was previously used in Syria.
According to the New York Post, in an interview on Sunday, retired Adm. James Stavridis said that Dvornikov's appointment as commander of the Russian military was a blow to hopes that the Russia-Ukraine war could come to a quick and peaceful end.
War on Ukraine
However, a senior U.S. defense official said that Dvornikov's appointment will not be able to erase the logistical and operational problems that have plagued Russian forces. The American official said that Moscow's military troops have high challenges to surpass and noted that the choice of a new general will not help them reach greater success.
The official also noted that Russia's continued attacks in the southern regions of Ukraine have largely stalled out, gaining no ground against Mariupol since last week and failing to advance on Mykolayiv. While it is unclear how the appointment of the new military commander will affect Russia's efforts in the invasion, a pattern of brutality is expected.
The situation comes as some of the Russian units that retreated from the northern areas of Ukraine started to move towards the east, heading for the Russian cities of Belgorod and Valuyki. A long convoy of Russian vehicles could be seen traveling south to Donbas from that area.
The Pentagon believes that Russia would use the region to refit and resupply its battalion tactical groups (BTGs) that have faced resistance near Kyiv and other areas of Ukraine. The agency argued that some military units were too gutted to continue fighting, ABC News reported.
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