The 55-year-old general was put in charge of President Putin’s “special military operation” in Ukraine last weekend, which has been extremely difficult of late. His appointment coincided with the attack on the bridge to Crimea, a humiliating setback for Putin that was lavishly celebrated in Kyiv.
The rain of rockets that Russia dropped on Monday in retaliation for the attack on Kyiv and a series of other cities clearly bears Surovikin’s stamp. He was previously commander of Russian units in Syria, which Putin had sent to the country to keep President Bashar al-Assad in power.
ruthless reputation
Surovikin built a reputation there as a ruthless commander with the brutal Russian bombing and rocket fire on Idlib and other cities controlled by the Syrian insurgents. In order to discourage the opponent, the civilian population was deliberately not spared.
As a reward for his brutal crackdown in Syria, President Putin awarded Surovikin the title of ‘Hero of the Russian Federation’, Russia’s highest award. The general was also given command of the Russian Air and Space Forces (VKS), whose bombers and long-range missiles played a key role in Monday’s series of attacks on Ukrainian cities.
In June this year, Surovikin, then just appointed commander of the southern front in Ukraine, had also expressed his preference for air strikes on civilian targets. Then a shopping center in Kremenchuk was hit by Russian missiles.
Lots of combat experience
In Russian military circles Surovikin was praised for the way in which he allegedly organized the units under his command.
The brand new commander of the military operation in Ukraine has gained a lot of combat experience during his career. In the 1980s he fought in Afghanistan, later he also served in Tajikistan and took part in the two wars that Russia fought in Chechnya.
Putin may also have a special sympathy for Surovikin because of the controversial role he played in the 1991 coup against Gorbachev, which heralded the end of the Soviet Union. As much of the army turned against the coup plotters, Surovikin and his unit attempted to break through a barricade that protesters had erected in central Moscow. Three civilians were killed.
Before that, he spent seven months in jail, but was eventually released for “following the orders of his superiors.” Later in his career, he was sentenced to one year in prison for allegedly selling service weapons, but that sentence was later overturned.
The appointment of Surovikin has been greeted with enthusiasm, especially in Russian hardliner circles. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the boss of the infamous Russian mercenary army Wagner, called him the “most competent” Russian commander. Prigozhin, whose troops are also fighting in Ukraine, is pushing for much tougher action by the Russian military.
There is also a risk associated with his appointment for Surovikin. Several other top officers, including General Dvornikov known as ‘the butcher of Aleppo’, have already gritted their teeth on Ukraine.