During his time in Syria, Putin's new Commander, launched dozens of attacks on civilians

With Russia’s conventional war machine failing, Russian Presiddent Vladimir Putin is deploying his unconventional playbook which kept Assad in power. On Saturday (Oct 15), Putin named a new general in charge for his devastating war on Ukraine - with a reputation for brutality.

Commander Sergey Surovikin previously played an instrumental role in Russia’s operations in Syria – during which Russian combat aircraft caused widespread devastation in rebel-held areas - as Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces.

He was appointed by Russia’s Ministry of Defense last Saturday (Oct 15) as its new overall commander for operations in the war, after Ukraine recently recaptured more territory than Russia’s army took in the last six months.

CNN spoke to a former Russian air force lieutenant, Gleb Irisov, who served under him in Syria.

He said Surovikin was “very close to Putin’s regime” and “never had any political ambitions, so always executed a plan exactly as the government wanted.”

According to the CNN, analysts say Surovikin’s appointment is highly unlikely to change how Russian forces are carrying out the war but that it speaks to Putin’s dissatisfaction with previous command operations.

As of early this morning (Monday Oct 10), massive missile strikes all across Ukraine, including Kyiv, Dnipro, Lviv, Kharkiv. As of 11:35, 83 missiles launched, 43 destroyed, reports Deputy MofD Hanna Maliar - Euromaidan Press / Photos: State Emergency Service of Ukraine

It is also, in part, likely meant to “mollify” the nationalist and pro-war base within Russia itself, according to Mason Clark, Russia Lead at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) think-tank.

Surovikin first served in Afghanistan in the 1980s before commanding a unit in the Second Chechen War in 2004.

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, who has called for Russia to “take more drastic measures” including the use of “low-yield nuclear weapons” in Ukraine following recent setbacks, welcomed the appointment of Surovikin.

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“I personally have known Sergei very well for almost 15 years. I can definitely say he is a real general and warrior, experienced, headstrong and foresighted commander who always takes patriotism, honor and respect above all,” Kadyrov posted on social media, following news of Surovikin’s appointment last Saturday. “The united army group is now in safe hands,” he added.

During his time in Syria, the now-56-year-old was awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.

In a 2020 report, Human Rights Watch named him as “someone who may bear command responsibility” for the dozens of air and ground attacks on civilian objects and infrastructure in violation of the laws of war” during the 2019-2020 Idlib offensive in Syria. The attacks killed at least 1,600 civilians and forced the displacement of an estimated 1.4 million people, according to HRW, which cites UN figures.

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In February this year, Surovikin was sanctioned by the European Union in his capacity as head of the Aerospace Forces “for actively supporting and implementing actions and policies that undermine and threaten the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine as well as the stability or security in Ukraine.”

Irisov, Surovikin’s former subordinate, who left his five-year career in the armed forces after his time in Syria because his own political views conflicted with what he experiences, believes there are three reasons why Surovikin’s has been put in charge in Ukraine now:

his closeness to the government and Putin; his interbranch experience with both the infantry and air force; and his experience since the summer commanding Russian forces in the southern Ukrainian regions of Kherson, Zaporizhzhia and Crimea. These are areas that Putin is trying to control “at any cost,” said Irisov.

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Just two days after Surovikin’s appointment on Saturday, Russia launched its heaviest bombardment of Ukraine since the early days of the war.

Surovikin is “more familiar with cruise missiles, maybe he used his connections and experience to organize this chain of devastating attacks,” Irisov said, referencing the reports that cruise missiles have been among the weapons deployed by Russia in this latest surge of attacks.

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