Ukraine's Defense Minister Admittedly Russia's New Commander General Surovikin Makes His Forces More Disciplinary, But Also More Brutal

General Sergei Surovikin with Russian President Vladimir Putin. (Wikimedia Commons/Kremlin.ru)

JAKARTA - Ukraine's defense minister said the new commander of Russian invasion forces on Thursday carried out a terrorist doctrine, bombarding civilians and critical infrastructure.

Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said the Russian army under General Sergei Surovikin appeared to have been more disciplined since his appointment in October.

Russia launched a wave of attacks on national infrastructure starting on October 10, in what it described as retaliation for an attack on a Russian bridge on Ukraine's annexed Crimean peninsula Kyiv.

Asked if Moscow's tactics had changed under Surovikin, Reznikov replied "yes."

"Yes, he changed it because he used terrorism tactics against civilians and infrastructure objects using cruise missiles, rocket missiles and drones, Iranian special drones," he told Reuters in an interview.

"They didn't send a rocket or two to Ukraine as before. They used 40 rockets in a day and then waited and then again and again," he explained.

Last July, Western officials said General Surovikin was behind the rapid progress of Ukrainian troops belonging to the Donbas region, which Moscow had just captured at the time.

Before leading the Russian troops as a whole, he was trusted to lead Moscow troops in the southern region, replacing General Alexander Dvornikov. His appointment cannot be separated from his'success' to lead Russian operations in Syria, which West calls using controversial tactics.

"Russia has made some significant command changes in recent weeks, especially Army General Sergei Surovikin, who has taken over the command of the Southern Forces Group, which oversees the occupation of southern Ukraine and progress in Donbas from the south," Western officials told The National News.

"He is a controversial figure, even according to standard Russian general officers," he continued. Meanwhile, Britain's Ministry of Defense said the general's 30-year career was "ful of allegations of corruption and brutality".

It is known, having the nickname 'General Armegeddon', General Surovikin is a respected senior high-ranking officer. Born in 1966 in Novosibirsk, 55-year-old General Surovikin was a recent Russian war veteran. He started his active military career in Afghanistan in the late 1980s, citing the BBC.

Before Ukraine and Syria, General Surovikin had fought in the conflict in the 1990s in Tajikistan and Islam.

Charles Lister, director of the Syrian Program at the Middle East Institute, said General Surovikin had a "unmerciable attitude towards the enemy", viewing combat and civilians as the same.

In 2017, President Putin awarded General Surovikin a Russian Hero's medal, the country's highest award, for his service in Syria. Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch (HRW) listed him as someone that could be held accountable for human rights violations.

Apart from being hostile and civilians, General Surovikin also did not hesitate to be harsh with his troops.

In 2004, just two years after graduating from the military academy for officers, General Surovikin allegedly beat one of his soldiers for his political views, the Institute for the Study of War said. The soldier then withdrew this complaint.

Russian pro-government newspaper Kommersant reported that in the same year, General Surovikin called on one of his colonels to dress up. Moments after the meeting, the soldier shot himself fatally.