MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia’s defence ministry on Friday confirmed the appointment of Colonel-General Viktor Afzalov as commander of the country’s aerospace forces, replacing General Sergei Surovikin who was removed from the role in August.
Russian state-run RIA and TASS news agencies had reported his appointment last week, citing sources.
Russia’s Aerospace Forces comprise the air and space branches of its armed forces.
Afzalov, 55, had been acting head of the aerospace forces after Surovikin’s dismissal. Kyiv says Afzalov played a direct role in the planning and prosecution of Russia’s “special military operation” launched against Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.
Surovikin, dubbed “General Armageddon” for his use of carpet bombing tactics during Russia’s intervention in Syria’s civil war, briefly headed Russia’s campaign in Ukraine last year before being demoted in January.
He became popular among hardline critics of the Russian military establishment including Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin, who led a failed mutiny on June 24. Prigozhin died in a plane crash in August.
Surovikin, who had been praised publicly by Prigozhin, disappeared from public view after the mutiny. The New York Times reported that U.S. intelligence believed he had known in advance about the revolt, the biggest challenge to President Vladimir Putin’s authority in his 24 years in power.
In September Surovikin apparently returned to official duties as he was a part of a Russian Defence Ministry delegation that made a trip to Algeria, a major buyer of Russian weapons.
(Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Gareth Jones; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
