The British Telegraph newspaper: Putin sacks “the butcher of Aleppo” for failing to advance in Ukraine

The British Telegraph newspaper announced on Saturday that Russian President Vladimir Putin has dismissed the commander of Russian forces in Ukraine, General Alexander Dvornikov, called “The Butcher of Aleppo” due to the slow progress in the Donbass.

The newspaper pointed out that it was reported that Dvornikov, who was chosen to lead the attack in eastern Ukraine last April, was seen drunk more than once and had lost the confidence of Putin.

The newspaper pointed out that if the news is confirmed, this would mark another major shake-up of Russian military command in a short time, indicating that Putin is not satisfied with the developments of the war in Ukraine.

The British Ministry of Defence said on Saturday that the Kremlin has recently fired several generals including Gen. Dvornikov and commander of Airborne Forces General-Colonel Andrei Serdyukov.

The newspaper noted that last March, Putin was frustrated by the failure of his forces to seize Kyiv, so he dismissed eight of the Russian army’s top generals.

In Syria in 2016, the commander of the Russian forces, Dvornikov, played a prominent role in the Syrian war because the forces under his command were responsible for widespread abuses against the civilians, and accused of crimes against humanity.