RELIGION: Who is the new Russian commander who stands behind recent attacks in Ukraine

According to Al Jazeera, the appointment that took place Saturday comes after the dismissal of two senior Russian military commanders after Kiev has regained its lost territories to Russia in northeast and south of Ukraine.

The appointment also comes after Moscow suffered a major blow after the partial destruction of the Kerci bridge of Russia and Crime, which Russia annexed in 2014.

Who's Suroviki?

Experts say today's bombings in Ukraine's capital bear its stamp, wrote Sky News.

Its appointment has increased the risk of escalating the conflict in Ukraine, as the danger of using nuclear weapons has increased.

The General, born in 1966 in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk, was declared the head of Russia's southern military group in his fight against Ukraine in June.

He took on Russia's Hero title and was honoured with a medal for his service in Syria in 2017, where he led the Russian military expedition as Air Force commander.

It is known to be completely “ruthlessly” in the Russian Army, according to a report (PDF) by the Jamestown Foundation, a research institute for American defence policy.

Surovkin was imprisoned twice.

The first time was six months after soldiers under his command killed three demonstrators in the Russian capital, Moscow, during the August 1991 coup that preceded the end of the Soviet Union.

He was later released without trial. Four years later, he received a sentence later overturned for illegal arms trade.

The general was charged with overseeing a brutal bombing that destroyed most of the city of Aleppos in Syria, where Russia intervened with Bashar al-Assad's side.

In a report published in October 2020, Human Rights Watch listed it as one of the <x0 commanders who could bear command responsibility for violations” during the 2019-2020 offensive in Syria's Idlib.