General Alexander Dvornikov, Commander of the Southern District of Russia
A Western official confirmed that Russia has reorganized its operational command in Ukraine, and appointed a new commander with extensive experience in combat operations in Sur.
The source, who asked not to be identified, told the BBC’s Defense Correspondent Godrin Corera that the commander of Russia’s Southern Military District, General Alexander Dvornikov, is now leading the Russian forces in Ukraine.
According to the Western official, the great experience that Dvornikov gained while leading the Russian forces in Syria makes it expected that “the Russian leadership in general will improve.”
This has not yet been issued any comment from the Russian side on those reports.
Russia has supported the forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the confrontations once morest the rebels for years.
The official said that the new measure came in an attempt to improve coordination between the different units, as previously the Russian combat units were organized and commanded separately.
Observers believe that Russia is so far facing difficulties in achieving its war goals following 44 days of the invasion, as it failed to seize major cities such as Kyiv before finally turning its sights to the Donbass region in the east.
The Western official said that the Russian tactics led to the retreat of Russian forces in the face of a smaller number of Ukrainian units acting smart and surprising.
“Unless Russia is able to change its tactics, it is very difficult for them to succeed even in these limited objectives that they have redefined,” the official said.
The official added that political imperatives may take precedence over military priorities, with Russia possibly pushing ahead with some sort of success before May 9, when the country celebrates the anniversary of victory in World War II.
Operations in Donbass
Britain’s Ministry of Defense said in its latest defense information update that Russian air activity is expected to increase in southern and eastern Ukraine.
Russian forces continue to bombard Ukrainian non-combatants, such as those killed in Friday’s missile strike on the Kramatorsk railway station, the British Ministry of Defense said.
Moscow denies its involvement in the bombing that killed dozens of civilians
picture released, Getty Images
The British Ministry of Defense says that Russian operations are concentrated in the eastern Donbass region, as well as the southern cities of Mariupol and Mykolaiv.
But the ministry says that the Ukrainian resistance continues to obstruct Russia’s goal of establishing a land link between Crimea and the Donbass region.
The governor of Luhansk in the Donbass region called for more evacuations on Saturday morning.
‘horrific atrocities’
For his part, US President Joe Biden said that Russia committed horrific atrocities when it fired a missile at the Kramatorsk railway station, killing more than fifty people and wounding three hundred others.
The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, who is in Ukraine, told the BBC that the Kramatorsk attack was another attempt to break morale, following Russian forces had been unable to win the fight once morest the Ukrainian army. Oh.
