Russian President Vladimir Putin has put general Aleksandr Dvornikov in charge of the country’s invasion in Ukraine as Moscow’s forces regroup after failing to capture the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, the BBC and The New York Times reported on Saturday.
The New York Times reported that Dvornikov, commander of Russia’s southern military district, has significant combat experience in Syria, where he commanded Russian forces for a year beginning in 2015.
Prior to Dvornikov’s appointment, no central commander was directing Russian forces on the ground in Ukraine, US officials told the newspaper.
The appointment comes as Russian forces have completely withdrawn from positions in the north of Ukraine, around Kyiv and Chernihiv, after failing to take the Ukrainian capital.
The troops have moved into Belarus and western Russia to be refitted with weapons and supplies in preparation for an offensive in eastern Ukraine, according to The Hill.
Western officials and human rights organizations condemned tactics employed by Russian forces in Syria under Dvornikov’s command, according to the Times, including the alleged targeting of hospitals and civilian neighborhoods in attacks.
On Friday, a rocket attack on a train station in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk left at least 50 dead.
Photos of the carnage showed bodies covered with sheets lining the ground and the exploded shell of a rocket that had the words “For the children” painted on it in Russian, The Associated Press reported.
Friday’s incident came days after the discovery of hundreds of bodies in the Kyiv suburb of Bucha as Ukrainian forces retook areas previously occupied by the Russian army.
Germany, France, Britain, the US, and the European Union condemned Russia following the discoveries, with France, Britain, and Germany calling for a war crimes investigation.
On Thursday, the UN General Assembly voted in favor of suspending Russia from the UN Human Rights Council in wake of its actions in Ukraine.