Putin turns to ‘Butcher of Damascus’ for help in Ukraine
When Vladimir Putin overhauled his military command in the immediate aftermath of the Kerch Bridge bombing, it was an indication that he picked Sergei Surovikin, who earned the sobriquet “General Armageddon” for his relentless bombing campaigns in Syria. Two years ago, Human Rights Watch named him among those they held responsible for deliberate attacks on civilians in Syria that could “amount to crimes against humanity.”
In the immediate aftermath of Surovikin assuming command, Russia responded to the Kerch Bridge bombing by bombing cities across Ukraine, appearing to deliberately target civilian areas. This might not be a change of tack but it reflected Surovikin’s style: no form of military action, lawful or not, was off limits.
Surovkin's appointment follows Putin's announcement last month that Russia was pulling paratroopers out of Syria to join the war effort in Ukraine. With an estimated 80,000 plus soldiers dead, Russians need all the troops they can get. But does this mean that Russia is giving up on Syria?
Russia for now maintains a vice-like grip in Syria, insists Ammar Yaser Hamou, senior editor at independent media organization Syria Direct. “It’s important to understand,” he says, speaking in Arabic, “that Russia’s control has not changed.” While the assaults by the Syrian regime, supported by the Russians may have slowed, he explains, this has less to do with the war in Ukraine than it does with a ceasefire deal signed with Turkey in 2020.