Fighting until noon on April 10: Putin appoints commander for Ukraine campaign

Army General Alexander Dvornikov, Commander of the Southern Military District of Russia Kremlin electricity

The appointment of General Dvornikov comes as Russian forces change their military plans in Ukraine after diverting from Kyiv.

Russia appoints general to command Ukraine campaign

Earlier, CNN reported that Russia did not have a commander for a special military operation in Ukraine. This meant that units from different Russian military regions were operating without coordination, according to two US defense officials.

According to observers, a new war zone commander with a lot of combat experience could help raise the level of coordination in a campaign that is expected to focus on the Donbass region in eastern Ukraine, instead of spreading out on many fronts.

General Dvornikov (61 years old) is the first commander of Russia’s military operations in Syria, after President Putin deployed forces to support the government of President Bashar al-Assad since September 2015.

Under the command of General Dvornikov from September 2015 to June 2016, Russian aircraft played a supporting role for government troops to launch a spearhead attack in eastern Aleppo, which was then occupied by rebel forces.

See more: President Putin replaced the general to command the operation in Ukraine?

Ukraine needs victory in the east

Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhaylo Podolyak said Ukraine needed to win in the Donbass before Russia and Ukraine could arrange any potential meeting between Zelensky and Putin.

“Ukraine is ready for great battles. Ukraine must win, including in the Donbass. And once that happens, Ukraine will have a stronger negotiating position, allowing them to come up with certain conditions,” Podolyak told state television.

Ukraine tries to find a victory before it can arrange a meeting between President Volodymyr Zelensky and President Putin Office of the President of Ukraine

“After that, the presidents of the two sides will meet. It could take two to three weeks,” he added.

Germany reaches the ‘limit’ in arms transfers to Ukraine

Germany has almost exhausted its capacity to supply Ukraine with weapons from its army’s reserve forces. However, Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht said that Germany is looking for more supplies directly from the arms industry, according to the newspaper. Augsburger Allgemeine.

US forces in Poland in 2017 reuters

In a related development, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is implementing a plan to build a permanent military presence on the border, in order to deal with the threat from Russia in the future.

Interview with newspaper The Telegraph On April 9, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance was “in the midst of a fundamental transformation”. Accordingly, these transitions reflect the “long-term consequences” of the actions of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“What we are seeing is the new reality, the new normal for European security. Therefore, we are now asking military commanders to provide options that will allow NATO to re-establish and be able to adapt in the long term,” Stoltenberg said.

See more: NATO plans permanent military presence on borders