Syrian conflict reshapes Russian military leadership
The commander of Russian forces in Syria, General Sergey Kisel, has been removed from his position following the capture of the city of Aleppo by militants, reported the Russian defence ministry-affiliated channel, "Rybar".
"It is said that the commander of the Kisel troop group was dismissed. This removal probably doesn't change anything for now. What needs to change is the approach: the Syrian sandbox has been a place for rebuilding the reputations of generals who proved incompetent in the special military operation zone for a long time," wrote "Rybar".
The pro-war Russian channel Colonelcassad also confirms this information. According to them, Colonel-General Aleksandr Chaiko, who led the unsuccessful attempt to capture Kyiv, will be appointed in Kisel's place.
Kisel was appointed commander of the Russian military group in Syria in 2024. After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, as commander of the 1st Guards Tank Army, he was removed from his duties following the failure of an operation in Kharkiv. Previously, the general commanded the troop group in Aleppo.
Sudden rebel attack in Syria
The situation in Syria escalated at the end of November. At that time, rebel fighters launched an offensive against government troops and captured the country's second-largest city, Aleppo. Currently, intense fighting is occurring in northwestern Syria for the first time since 2020.
The "Hayat Tahrir al-Sham" (HTS) group, listed as a terrorist organisation in both the US and Russia, is leading the rebel offensive. HTS is currently the dominant force in the northwestern Idlib province, where four years ago, government forces supported by Russia and Iran pushed about 2 million civilians and opposition militant groups, including Islamic extremists.
This group, partially fulfilling administrative functions in Idlib (e.g., acting as the police), is now trying to present itself as more moderate and focused on internal matters.
The spokesperson for Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Peskov, described the events in Aleppo as "an attack on Syrian sovereignty". "We are in favour of the Syrian authorities bringing order to the area and restoring constitutional order as soon as possible," he added. Russia supports government troops by conducting airstrikes against opposition forces.
