A 2016 photo shows him handing over to Vladimir Putin a large framed photo. It is an image of an assault helicopter flying over a group of houses in Syria, as a Cyrillic caption explains. It is the operation that earned the general Alexander Dvornikov the golden star of the Russian Federation and the photo with Putin immortalizes the moment. Dvornikov, tall, imposing, does not seem too comfortable, yet he is used to moving in the chambers of power at least as much as he is. on the battlefield.
Syria and the successes
Putin owes him a lot: it was he who gave the turning point to operations in Syria. Since the beginning of the Russian military intervention, in September 2015, he has been commander of the grouping of the armed forces and six months later he can reap the fruits of his work in the St. George’s Hall in the Kremlin, where the president pinned him to his chest. the highest military honor.
The conflict in Ukraine
Appointed commander of the Russian forces in Ukraine, Dvornikov is called to repeat the feat. He knows the frontier well: his previous assignment was in a warm place like the Caucasuswhere he was appointed commander of the southern district, at the forefront of the last thirty years for the tensions in the Transcaucasus and the two wars in Chechnya, in addition to continuing counter-terrorist operations on the territory of all republics, the military conflict with Georgia, and now with Ukraine. In the notes of Maria Lavrentyevna Kiriyenko, a history teacher at the Ussuri Suvorov Military School, there is a note regarding Alexander Vladimirovich Dvornikov: “He studied three times as many, was a member of the shooting school team, was an excellent swimmer and skier and always defended his friends.” But Kiriyenko has a soft spot for this 17-year-old boy (he was born in 1961 in Ussurijsk, a short distance from the border with China and North Korea and a stone’s throw from Vladivostok), he knows that Alexander has an edge and he makes a recommendation that will be prophetic: “Be a general to yourself, Sasha.”
The military career
In 1978 Dvornikov enters the Moscow Higher Combined Arms Command School, after which, in 1982, he served in the Far Eastern Military District as a platoon commander, company commander and battalion leader. In 1991 he graduated from the Frunze Military Academythen served in the Group of Western Forces as a deputy, and from 1992 to 1994, commands the 154 OMSB Brigade in Berlin. From 2000 to 2003 he served in the North (now South) Caucasus Military District as Division Chief of Staff and later Division Commander.
In 2005 he graduated from the Military Academy of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and was appointed Deputy Commander of the Army, then Chief of Staff of the Army in the Siberian Military District. From June 2008 to January 2011 he was Commander of the 5th Combined Army of the Far Eastern Military District, then until April 2012 he served as Deputy Commander of the Eastern Military District. In May 2012 he was appointed Chief of Staff – First Deputy Commander of the Central Military District. Then, in September 2015, the turning point: he was given command of the group of Russian troops in Syria.
In a 2016 interview he spoke of the a threat that could come from an enlargement of NATO in Ukraine and the role of friendly countries: «We have our own presence outside the Russian Federation, to which we attribute a very important role for stability in the southwestern strategic direction – I mean the military bases located in Armenia, Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Of course, they are also constantly ready for combat, capable of carrying out their mission at any moment ». And he illustrated the strategy to be adopted in combat: “It is important to know not only in theory how and what is being done, but also to have practical skills in the use of new generation weapons including, for example, long-range cruise missiles. Calibers that can be fired by frigates and submarines against land and sea targets ».
Dvornikov knows armament better than anyone else at his disposal and talks extensively about it: «The flight and air defense units deployed in the Crimea are equipped with the latest weapons. At military airports, modern Su-30SM fighters, Ka-52 Alligator and Mi-28N Night Hunter helicopters are ready for combat missions. The S-400 Triumph anti-aircraft missile systems and the Pantsir-S anti-aircraft missile and gun systems are in defense service. Furthermore, the arrival of new submarines and ships in the Black Sea Fleet and the Caspian Flotilla has allowed us to significantly increase the intensity of combat training of personnel ”.
The successor to the leadership of the Russian troops in Ukraine
Maybe the general Gennady Zhidko he was warming up his engines before taking command of Russian operations in Ukraine. In the last passage through the revolving doors of a military management that appears increasingly uncertain, it would be he who assumed the leadership of the troops, less than two months after the appointment of General Alexander Dvornikov, to whom the ruthless methods that had earned him the nickname of “Syrian butcher” they were not enough to tame the Ukrainian resistance. A handover currently reported by independent military analysts, according to which it could also be the consequence of a planned “rotation”. But if it were confirmed, it would still give the idea of an offensive that, at the 100-day turning point, is still sailing on sight.
Former Commander of the Eastern Military District and current Deputy Defense Minister for Political Affairs, Zhidko is considered a trusted man by President Vladimir Putin. Of Uzbek origin, 56 years old, he has an experience in Damascus as commander of the contingent in 2016: he too, in short, certainly does not lack experience in the hottest conflict zones. From him, however, he also has an important curriculum military organizer. Back in Moscow, he began to deal with the propaganda and mobilization activities of the army, with the aim of strengthening the recruitment of the youngest recruits: a “political” mind at the service of the armed forces. Awarded the prestigious Golden Star of Hero of Russia, for the Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov it stands out among the “military leaders with creative thinking”, which has resulted in the conduct of “unconventional” initiatives. Capacity that could now bring as a dowry to the campaign that was supposed to last a few days for Moscow and is instead transforming into a new Afghanistan.