https://news.yahoo.com/sergei-surovikin-commander-now-leading-013834866.html
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Sergei Surovikin, the commander now leading Russia's attacks on Ukraine,
has been described as 'absolutely ruthless' by former colleagues: 'I am
afraid his hands will be completely covered in Ukrainian blood'
Isabella Zavarise
Mon, October 10, 2022 at 6:38 PM
Colonel General Sergei Surovikin, Commander of the Russian forces in
Syria, speaks, with a map of Syria projected on the screen in the back,
at a briefing in the Russian Defense Ministry in Moscow, Russia, Friday,
June 9, 2017. Russia's Defense Ministry announced that air force chief,
Gen. Sergei Surovikin, would be the commander of all Russian troops
fighting in Ukraine. The statement marked the first official appointment
of a single commander for the entire Russian force in Ukraine.
Colonel General Sergei Surovikin, Commander of the Russian forces in
Syria, speaks, with a map of Syria projected on the screen in the back,
at a briefing in the Russian Defense Ministry in Moscow, Russia, Friday,
June 9, 2017. Russia's Defense Ministry announced that air force chief,
Gen. Sergei Surovikin, would be the commander of all Russian troops
fighting in Ukraine. The statement marked the first official appointment
of a single commander for the entire Russian force in Ukraine.AP
Photo/Pavel Golovkin, File
Sergei Surovikin is the new top Russian commander and has been
nicknamed "General Armageddon" by colleagues.
He is said to be behind Monday's deadly attacks across Ukraine.
Surovikin led Russian troops in Syria during the early 2000s,
according to The New York Times.
Former colleagues describe the new commander of Russia's military as
"absolutely ruthless" and say he has "little regard for human life."
including Monday's deadly airstrikes across the country
Air Force General Sergei Surovikin was appointed by Russia's Defense
Ministry on Saturday to become the country's overall commander of
Russian forces fighting in Ukraine, according to Reuters. While it's
unclear who issued the directive for Monday's airstrikes, Surovikin has
been known to bomb civilian areas in the past.
A former defense ministry official who worked with Surovikin told The
Guardian Australia they weren't surprised by the deadly bombing in the
Ukrainian capital that killed at least five people on Monday morning.
"Surovikin is absolutely ruthless, with little regard for human life,"
said the unnamed former colleague: "I am afraid his hands will be
completely covered in Ukrainian blood."
Because of his callous approach to war, colleagues have given him the
nickname, "General Armageddon," as per The Guardian.
According to The New York Times, Surovikin led Russian troops in Syria
during the country's civil war in the early 2000s. Human Rights Watch
said he was among the military leaders who might bear "command
responsibility for violations during the 2019-2020 Idlib offensive" in
Syria.
During the Idlib offensive, the Syrian-Russian alliance launched dozens
of air and ground attacks that hit homes, schools, and healthcare
facilities. Human Rights Watch reported the attacks killed at least
1,600 civilians and displaced an estimated 1.4 million people.
Surovikin was born in 1966 in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk and has
served in the army since at least 1991, as reported by Al Jazeera. In
1991, he spent at least six months in prison after soldiers under his
command killed three protestors during a failed coup attempt in Moscow,
the Times reported.
On Feb. 23, a day before Russia invaded Ukraine, Surovikin was placed on
a European Union sanctions list for supporting and implementing policies
that undermine and threaten the independence of Ukraine.