Russia appoints feared commander accused of atrocities in Syria to lead its war on Ukraine

Russia has appointed a general dubbed “the butcher of Syria” - because he allegedly committed “unspeakable war crimes” - to lead its war effort on the ground in Ukraine.

Vladimir Putin has appointed a new general accused of atrocities in Syria to command Russian troops in Ukraine, following weeks of military setbacks and heavy losses capped by humiliating defeat in the Battle for Kyiv.

Aleksandr V. Dvornikov, dubbed “the butcher of Syria”, commanded forces in the Syrian civil war that were accused of attacking residential neighborhoods and targeting hospitals in 2015, as part of Russia’s intervention to prop up the government of President Bashar al-Assad, the New York Times reports.

During the general’s time, chemical weapons and air strikes were used in Syria - resulting in thousands of civilian casualties.

Aleksandr V. Dvornikov. Picture: Erik Romanenko/TASS/Alamy Live News

Dvornikov will lead the Russian forces with the goal of increasing coordination between various units. Until now, Russian forces have been commanded separately and from Moscow, with no central war commander on the ground in Ukraine.

Western officials told the BBC that Dvornikov, a general who played a significant role in the Russian bombardment of Syria, has been put in charge by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Russian intervention in Syria was notoriously brutal, and foreign policy analyst Rula Jebreal said Dvornikov’s appointment likely signals an “expansion” of Russia’s “terror campaign” against Ukraine.

Russia is forced to change its military leadership due to failed war efforts. General Alexander Dvornikov, who committed unspeakable war crimes in #Syria will lead the army, as Putin desires to replicate the Syria genocide in Ukraine
Expect expansion of terror campaign in 🇺🇦. pic.twitter.com/80yCAGftUT

— Rula Jebreal (@rulajebreal) April 8, 2022

Western officials and human rights organisations have previously condemned tactics employed by Russian forces in Syria under Dvornikov’s command, including the targeting of hospitals and civilian neighborhoods in attacks. Dvornikov previously said: “I will say this: without carrying out information operations, we would not have had success in Aleppo, Deir al-Zour and Ghouta”

The 60-year-old general is also believed to be the man behind a missile strike on Kramatorsk railway station, which killed at least 52 civilians who were attempting to evacuate from the region on Friday.

Aleksandr V. Dvornikov.
Remember that name.
Keep track of everything he does as the commander of Russian forces in Ukraine.
Prepare documents for the @intcrimcourt
The world is watching this criminal class. https://t.co/Ajsg9AG63ypic.twitter.com/rFFfOmycTY

— Charlie Angus (@CharlieAngusNDP) April 9, 2022

Russian General Aleksandr V. Dvornikov, now in charge of #UkraineRussiaWar . Also #DeadManWalkingpic.twitter.com/7YFLcqJAXg

— will weaver (@will__weaver) April 10, 2022

A US State Department spokesperson would not comment on the general being put in charge of the Russian invasion but said “it’s clear this war has not gone according to plan for Putin – a quick victory has been stymied by Ukraine.”

“This war is taking a very hard toll on the people of Ukraine, but it is also taking a significant toll on Russia’s forces,” the spokesperson said.

“This war was a strategic blunder that has left Russia weaker and isolated on the world stage, while the people of Ukraine have inspired the world with their bravery.”

The appointment comes as Russian forces have completely withdrawn from positions in the north of Ukraine, around Kyiv and Chernihiv, after failing to take the Ukrainian capital and even being pushed back as they attempted to capture it. The troops have moved into Belarus and western Russia to be refitted with weapons and supplies in preparation for an offensive in eastern Ukraine.

“At this juncture we believe that Russia is revising its war aims,” White House national security advisor Jake Sullivan said this week. “Russia is repositioning its forces to concentrate its offensive operations in eastern and parts of southern Ukraine rather than target most of the territory.” US and Ukrainian officials have warned that a coming Russian offensive in Ukraine’s Donbas region will be horrific and bloody.

Left to right: Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chief Commander of the Northern Fleet Nikolai Yevmenov and Russian Ground Forces colonel general Aleksandr Dvornikov attend the joint drills of the Northern and Black sea fleets in Sevastopol, Crimea, Russia in 2020. Picture: Alexei Druzhinin / Sputnik / Sputnik via AFP

Newly released Maxar satellite imagery collected on Friday showed a 13 kilometer convoy of military vehicles headed south to the Donbas region through the Ukrainian town of Velykyi Burluk.Western military analysts said an arc of territory in eastern Ukraine was under Russian control from Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city in the north to Kherson in the south.

The Kremlin is believed to be hoping that Dvornikov, who is currently Commander of Russia’s Southern Military District, could restore the honor of the Russian army after it suffered considerable setbacks and losses on the road to Kyiv.

Dvornikov joined the Soviet Army in 1978 and went on to command several regiments in the Russian military.

In September 2015, he became the first commander of the Russian Armed Forces in Syria, during Putin’s military intervention to support the embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Dvornikov was awarded the title Hero of the Russian Federation in 2016 for his leadership in Syria, the highest military honor in the country.

A UN investigation into atrocities committed in Syria said that Russia was partly to blame for war crimes due to indiscriminate attacks in civilian areas without “a specific military objective.”

The new butcher witn extensive #Syrian "experience" is will be a new commander for #Russia's full-scale war against #Ukraine, General Alexander #Dvornikov. After the failure of the "special operation", 🇷🇺 is reorganizing the command in Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/s7xBLPgxWv

— Giorgi Revishvili (@revishvilig) April 8, 2022

Following his time in Syria, Dvornikov was appointed Commander of the Southern Military District. A report by the Institute for the Study of War said that Dvornikov drew on his experience in Syria to “reorganize the Southern Military District into a joint force grouping capable of operating effectively on land, sea, and air.”

The change in leadership could be seen as “a sign of Russian weakness,” Gwythian Prins, a military strategy expert who’s advised NATO, told the BBC.

Prins noted that Russia has lost several of its most senior commanders in Ukraine, including Colonel Andrei Mordvichev and Lt. Gen. Yakov Rezantsev.

“So yes they’ve brought in someone who’s a well-known bombardier, they have reverted from the failed strategy of the blitzkrieg, which was intended to happen, and they’ve now gone back to terrorizing people by rubblization–and Mr. Dvornikov is very good at that sort of thing,” said Prins.

The Ukrainian leadership and western experts believe Russia is poised to launch a new offensive in Donbas, eastern Ukraine.

On Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned of a conflict that could result in the biggest war in centuries.