Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, poses with Col. Gen. Alexander Dvornikov during an awarding ceremony in Moscow's Kremlin, Russia. This photo taken on March 17, 2016.
Days after Russia accepted there has been a 'significant loss' in soldiers lost in the military conflict to take control of Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin appointed General Aleksandr Dvornikov as the military commander for the Ukraine campaign.
But then, if it is a regular appointment, why are people talking about it? Aleksandr Dvornikov was given the charge to come up with a plan to annex Donbass from Ukraine.
Who is Aleksandr Dvornikov?
Aleksandr Dvornikov, 60, was the first commander, who was in charge of Russia's military operations in Syria when Putin sent troops in 2015 to back the Syrian government, which was run by Bashar al-Assad.
Aleksandr Dvornikov is one of Russia’s most experienced military officers and — according to U.S. officials — a general with a record of brutality against civilians in Syria and other war theatres. Up to now, Russia had no central war commander on the ground.
During the 60-year-old's command from September 2015 to 2016, the Assad regime and its allies were backed as they laid siege to rebel-held eastern Aleppo, bombarding densely populated neighbourhoods and causing major civilian casualties.
Dvornikov is a career military officer and has steadily risen through the ranks after starting as a platoon commander in 1982. He fought during the second war in Chechnya and took several top positions before being placed in charge of the Russian troops in Syria in 2015.
Dubbed the "butcher of Syria"
Aleksandr was called the "butcher of Syria" due to his merciless warfare tactics that helped Syrian President Bashar al-Assad crush rebels.
Previously, Dvorknikov was in charge of the tank division and the motor rifle divisions. The state had bestowed upon him the "Hero of Russia" title in 2016.
(With inputs from agencies)
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