After Syria, Dvornikov leads Russian forces in Ukraine

QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Following the Russian failure to capture Kyiv and announcing that it would focus on seizing the eastern Donbas region, Moscow has appointed a new top commander, Gen. Alexander Dvornikov, to lead its “special operation” in Ukraine.

The 60-year-old Dvornikov was the commander in charge of leading the Russian military operations in Syria, after Putin sent Russian forces there in 2015 to help the President Bashar al-Assad regaining control of the areas seized by armed opposition factions.

US officials said that Dvornikov was a commander with a reputation for brutality against civilians in Syria, with some people even calling him “the butcher of Syria”. 

The forces under his command were frequently accused of committing crimes against humanity. Dvornikov launched more than 9,000 combat flights and bombing raids in Syria.

Dvornikov played a prominent role in Syria as he supervised Russian forces during a critical time in the Syrian war and helped to turn the war tide into Assad’s favor.

As soon as he assumed his position, he quickly established an airbase near the northwestern coast, from where Russian aircrafts backed al-Assad regime by launching heavy airstrikes on the opposition-held cities and areas.

In the opposition-held city of Aleppo, which was a key city in shaping the Syrian war afterwards, Dvornikov laid an overwhelming siege on the city and  bombarded densely populated neighborhoods, causing major civilian casualties. As a result, the city fell into al-Assad’s hands in 2016.

Dvornikov also bombarded and obliterated towns and cities across Idlib governorate, where he had supremacy due to installing anti-aircraft guns.