Putin's New Commander in Ukraine, Wanted for War Crimes

Colonel General Andrei Mordivchev has been appointed as the new head of Russia's ground forces, announced by Defense Minister Andrei Belousov today. Mordvichev replaces General Oleg Salyukov, who was reassigned by Vladimir Putin last week. Mordvichev is known as a hardliner, sought by Ukraine for war crimes, and is also on Western sanctions lists.

According to Minister Belousov, Mordvichev is an 'experienced combat officer' who has 'fully demonstrated his talent' during what Moscow calls a 'special military operation.' At 49, Mordvichev is one of Russia's youngest colonel-generals. He previously led the Central Military District in Ukraine and commanded the 8th Combined Arms Army of the Guard in 2021.

He is particularly infamous for overseeing the siege and destruction of the southern Ukrainian port city of Mariupol in early 2022. During the siege, described by the Red Cross as 'apocalyptic,' 95% of the city was destroyed, and an estimated 21,000 Ukrainian civilians lost their lives. Mordvichev also commanded troops in the capture of the eastern Ukrainian town of Avdiivka in 2023, with devastating losses on the Russian side.

Even in Russia, Mordvichev is controversial. Some pro-Kremlin military bloggers criticize his high-casualty tactics. Military analyst Yan Matveyev has called him the architect of so-called 'meat assaults,' involving repeated use of poorly equipped troops to storm heavily fortified positions.

Ukrainian prosecutors charged Mordvichev last year with waging a war of aggression and attempting to alter Ukraine's borders by force. In 2023, Mordvichev made headlines when he declared in an interview that Ukraine was merely a 'springboard' for invading the rest of Europe, stating that 'the war will not stop here.' Analysts attributed his rapid career rise to his unwavering loyalty to the Kremlin.