Russia appoints new commander of its forces in Syria
Lieutenant General Alexander Zhuravlev has been appointed as the new commander of the Russian military group in Syria, and has also became the first deputy commander of the Southern Military District. This was reported by Kommersant, citing a source in the General Staff.
The source said that the candidacy of Zhuravlev, who has been in charge of the headquarters of the military forces in Syria since last September, was approved by the military leadership.
According to military sources, Zhuravlev was awarded the title of ‘Hero of the Russian Federation’ by a secret decree of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Command has been passed to Zhuravlev at a time of serious destabilization in Syria. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government forces are exhausted and can hardly hold their position. Also, militants of the so-called Islamic State (ISIS) are starting to actively attack near Palmyra.
The source specified that defending of Palmyra is one of the most important tasks “and its capture by militants cannot be allowed”. The city was freed in spring with the support of the Russian military.