Oleksandr Dvornikov, who was appointed head of Russian forces in Ukraine in April, may not be competent enough, as his mistakes in Syria often led the Russian military to open fire on their own, Bellingcat journalist Hristo Grozev told.

“The fact that they brought the “Syrian butcher” is a good way out for Ukraine, because in reality his competence is a big question,” Grozev said in an interview with Ukraine 24..

He noted that he made such a conclusion based on the reports of several servicemen who fought in Syria..

“People who fought under him in Syria, and whose reports we were able to read, complained to him that he could not really do the coordination work, and that there was very often “friendly fire”, due to the fact that he literally drank.

In early April, Russian President Vladimir Putin appointed General of the Army Alexander Dvornikov, commander of the Southern Military District of Russia, commander of troops in Ukraine.. Dvornikov, 60, was the first commander of Russia's military operations in Syria since Putin sent troops there in September 2015 to support the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad..