Russian President Vladimir Putin has appointed a new commander to lead operations in Ukraine, as officials warn that Moscow is trying to shift its focus to eastern Ukraine after more than six weeks of war. General Alexander Dvornikov, commander of Russia’s southern military district (SMD), will now lead the invasion, the BBC first reported late Friday. RUSSIA INVASES UKRAINE: LIVE UPDATES The image released by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense on Thursday, February 17, 2022 shows the front line of Donbass, a conflict zone with Russian-backed separatists, during President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s visit to the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine. (EYEPRESS via Reuters Connect) Dvornikov not only has known experience in Russia’s campaign in Syria, but led military exercises in southern Russia last year, right along Ukraine’s border with the Donbas region. A Western official told the agency that the change of command would improve Russia’s invasion after it failed to occupy the capital Kiev despite weeks of bombing and efforts to push in ground forces across the country. “Unless Russia is able to change its tactics, it is very difficult to see how it manages to achieve even those limited goals that it has set itself,” he said. However, Russia has made greater progress in southern and eastern Ukraine – a move reported by senior US defense officials largely due to the illegal occupation of areas such as Crimea for eight years. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg warned this week that Russia was seeking to focus its efforts on a “major offensive” in eastern Ukraine, where Russian-backed forces have been fighting the Ukrainian army since 2014 in the self-proclaimed People’s Republic of and Luhansk. . The breakaway regions are located along the eastern border of Ukraine in an area known as the Donbas. Six months before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine under the guise of a “special military operation,” Dvornikov directly oversaw “combined weapons operations from August 9 to September 15” in southern Russia, according to the Institute for the Study of War. The exercises reportedly included “regular work” involving “motorized rifles, tanks and artillery battalions” in coordination with specialized units. Relatives of Colonel Vladimir Zoga, commander of a battalion in recognition of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, mourned during a farewell ceremony in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, on Monday, March 7, 2022. Zoga’s (AP Photo) RUSSIA TO MOBILIZE 60,000 RESERVES IN EASTERN UKRAINE: SENIOR DEFENSE The specialized units focused on “biological, radiological and nuclear” defenses. Reconnaissance, cyber warfare, medical training, aviation and military police exercises were also conducted. “Caspian Fleet and Black Sea Fleet warships, naval infantry and at least 80 fixed and rotating wing aircraft” also took part in the exercises, the report said. The exercises took place along the eastern border of Ukraine as well as in occupied Crimea and areas of occupied Georgia. The report noted that Russian forces attempted to conduct joint operations based on lessons learned from the experience in Syria. The United States and NATO have pledged to increase military support as officials warn that the war in eastern Ukraine is expected to escalate. “This is going to be a knife fight. It can be very bloody and very ugly,” a senior U.S. defense official told reporters on Friday. “The Russians are limiting their geographical goals and they still have a lot of fighting power at their disposal.” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell, Slovak Prime Minister Eduard Heger and Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal stand by a mass grave as they visit city B as Russia The attack on Ukraine continues, outside Kyiv, Ukraine, April 8, 2022. (REUTERS / Valentyn Ogirenko) CLICK HERE TO RECEIVE THE FOX NEWS APPLICATION The official said the United States believes Russia is seeking to add 60,000 new recruits to its war effort as it develops in eastern Ukraine – an area about the size of West Virginia. US and NATO security officials have warned that the war in Ukraine could continue for months, if not years.
