General Sergei Surovikin: Who is Putin's hard-line new commander in Ukraine?

General Sergei Surovikin, nicknamed General Armageddon, is President Vladimir Putin's caller maneuver successful the warfare against Ukraine.

But Gen Surovikin is not really caller to the faltering warfare effort. He's been commanding troops connected the beforehand successful confederate Ukraine and, the time earlier the warfare began, was sanctioned by Europe for his subject power and narration with President Putin.

This appears to beryllium the archetypal clip Russia has officially named a commandant for its full subject cognition successful Ukraine - earlier that, determination were media reports that the station was held by General Alexander Dvornikov.

But who is the caller commander?

Born successful 1966 successful Novosibirsk, the 55-year-old Gen Surovikin is simply a seasoned of Russia's caller wars.

Gen Surovikin started his progressive subject vocation successful Afghanistan successful the precocious 1980s. This was successful circumstances that were "extremely unfavourable", says Russian past and civilization prof Peter Waldron - the Soviets were losing.

Prof Waldron suggests this shaped the general's quality and reputation, arsenic helium was heavy progressive successful "considerable violence" from the off.

Back location successful 1991, 3 radical were killed during a clash betwixt subject vehicles and pro-democracy protesters successful Moscow. According to the BBC's Russian service, the protesters blocked the vehicles' way and Gen Surovikin, who was successful charge, gave the bid to thrust on.

All charges were aboriginal dropped connected the grounds helium had been pursuing orders.

Four years later, portion a pupil astatine the Frunze Military Academy, the wide was fixed a suspended condemnation for illegally selling a pistol to a classmate. He claimed helium was "set up" and the condemnation was aboriginal stripped from his record.

The wide went connected to service successful the 1990s conflicts successful Tajikistan and Chechnya and, much recently, successful Syria, wherever Moscow intervened successful 2015 connected the broadside of the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government.

As commandant of Russia's aerospace portion - contempt having nary acquisition of aerial operations - helium oversaw the obliteration from the aerial of overmuch of the Syrian metropolis of Aleppo.

Prof Waldron says Russia's involution successful Syria amounted to unconstrained bombing and attacks connected civilian targets. Gen Surovikin was successful complaint of that and was "clearly prepared to usage immoderate measures are necessary".

Meanwhile, Charles Lister, manager of the Syria Program astatine the Middle East Institute, says Gen Surovikin has an "absolutely unforgiving cognition to the enemy" - seeing combatants and civilians arsenic the same.

Under the general's command, Russian forces were progressive successful covering for the usage of nervus cause sarin, Mr Lister says. They witnessed it being loaded onto Syrian craft minutes earlier a deadly chemic onslaught connected the municipality of Khan Sheikhoun, successful which much than 80 radical died.

In 2017 President Putin awarded Gen Surovikin the Hero of Russia medal - the country's highest honour - for his work successful Syria, whereas Human Rights Watch (HRW) listed him arsenic idiosyncratic who could beryllium held liable for quality rights violations.

On respective occasions, soldiers nether Gen Surovikin's bid person been accused of unit against civilians. In Chechyna, eyewitnesses accidental fighters conducted "cleansing operations" wherever civilian homes were breached into and locals were beaten, according to the BBC's Russian service.

Gen Surovikin rejected the accusations.

Over 30 years oregon truthful this estimation of being "a brutal, precise pugnacious and unpleasant individual" has developed, says Prof Waldron.

This has been seen some connected and disconnected of the battlefield.

In 2004, conscionable 2 years aft graduating from a subject academy for officers, Gen Surovikin allegedly bushed up 1 of his soldiers due to the fact that of his governmental views, says the Institute for the Study of War. The worker aboriginal withdrew this complaint.

Pro-government Russian paper Kommersant reported that successful the aforesaid year, Gen Surovikin summoned 1 of his colonels for a dressing down. Moments aft the encounter, the worker fatally changeable himself.

So wherefore did Putin marque this appointment? Prof Waldron says it's intelligibly a designation that things are not going well.

"You don't alteration your subject commandant unless things aren't going to plan," helium added. "Changing the commandant present whitethorn bring successful a antithetic ethos but whether it makes a quality to the capabilities is questionable."

His estimation of brutality whitethorn not needfully adjacent territorial gains but his assignment has been welcomed by some.

Chechen person Ramzan Kadyrov and the laminitis of mercenary Wagner radical Yevgeny Prigozhin - cardinal allies of President Putin - praised him. Mr Prigozhin, a businessman nicknamed Putin's chef, said the wide is "the astir competent commander" successful the Russian military.

Prof Waldron says possibly this is Putin making a "symbolic appointment".

"Here is idiosyncratic who has got the nationalist estimation of being brutal," helium says. "Is Putin trying to nonstop a awesome to Ukraine astir however helium wants the warfare to beryllium proceeded from present onwards?"