Sergey Surovikin is preceded by a reputation. The 56-year-old general is often called the “slayer of Syria”, “cannibal” or “General Armageddon” on social media. In the war in Syria he led the Russian armed forces in 2017 and again in 2019.
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February, Surovikin has already commanded the southern group of troops. Margarete Klein, an expert on Russia’s security and military policy at the Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik, told Deutsche Welle that his appointment as head of the entire invading army fits in with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s escalation strategy.
The intention is to have a psychological effect on Ukraine, to demoralize and deter it. Klein also expects that Russia’s army under Surovikin will attack significantly more civilian targets than before.
Human rights organizations accuse Surovik of being responsible for war crimes in Syria and terrorizing the civilian population. According to Human Rights Watch, he bombed hospitals in Idlib province, despite the fact that many children were known to be there. He is also said to have at least approved, if not ordered, chemical gas attacks on civilians in Syria. He is also said to be responsible for the bombing of the city of Aleppo, which the Russian air force reduced to rubble in 2016. In 2017, Putin awarded him the Order of Hero of Russia for his military service in Syria.
Originally from Novosibirsk, the brawny Sergej Surovikin attended the higher military school in Omsk in 1987 and fought in the Afghan war.
In 1991 he was involved in the failed August putsch against President Mikhail Gorbachev. As rifle commander, he ordered his soldiers to roll over three demonstrators with tanks who had erected street barricades. That put him behind bars for six months. He denied responsibility for this: He only carried out orders, he told the public prosecutor’s office.
He successfully pursued his career in the Russian military. Among other things, Surovikin was deployed in the Second Chechen War in 2004 and 2005, and in October 2017 he became Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Air Force.
Has he personally enriched himself in the process? “We have no evidence of this,” says scientist Margarete Klein. It is known, however, that corruption in Russia’s army is endemic.
Surovikin’s appointment as commander-in-chief of the Russian invasion army in Ukraine was warmly welcomed by all those in Russia who wanted tougher action after the Russian army’s recent setbacks in the east of the country – above all Chechen ruler Ramzan Kadyrov.
At the end of June, after long fighting and thousands of dead, Sergei Surovikin succeeded in conquering the city of Sievjerodonetsk in the Donbass. According to Margarete Klein, whether he will be successful as commander-in-chief depends above all on whether he succeeds in improving coordination within the Russian military.
Author: Miodrag Soric
Russia has appointed a commander for all Russian troops in Ukraine for the first time. He is considered a brutal war leader with a dark history. With his appointment, Putin wants to send a clear signal to the West – and to his critics at home.
In Russia, people have had to do without some amenities for months. The country is being deprived of numerous goods as a result of the sanctions imposed in the course of the invasion of Ukraine. But thanks to the “grey market trade”, some products still end up in the markets – even from Germany.
Vladimir Putin is coming under increasing pressure in Russia. Fierce disputes following the recent defeats in the Ukraine war are dividing the president’s power base. “Putin will probably be gone soon,” says historian Harold James. But that doesn’t have to mean only good things.
Amazon Prime Day will take place a second time on October 11th and 12th, 2022 – but this time under the somewhat clumsy name “Prime Exclusive Offers”. The campaign for Prime members started at midnight sharp with some exciting bargains that we don’t want to withhold from you. A few other retailers are also taking part in the discount battle.
The original for this article “Russia’s strongman in Ukraine” comes from Deutsche Welle.
