Putin appoints general who bombed Syria to lead offensive on Sumy and Kharkiv

Russian general Yevgeny Nikiforov has been appointed the new commander of the “North” troop grouping, whose area of responsibility includes Ukraine’s Kharkiv, Sumy, and Chernihiv regions, as well as Russia’s border regions. At one time, he commanded Russian forces in Syria.

This was reported by The Moscow Times, citing the Russian Ministry of Defense.

On Thursday, August 21, the defense ministry of the aggressor state reported on Minister Andrey Belousov’s visit to the grouping’s positions. He heard the report of Colonel General Yevgeny Nikiforov on the equipping of soldiers with “modern weapons and military equipment.”

It is known that from June to October 2021, Nikiforov headed the grouping of Russian Armed Forces in Syria. In particular, he presided over a ceremonial parade at the Khmeimim airbase.

Later, the 55-year-old Nikiforov commanded Russia’s Western Military District, which was then disbanded, after which the Leningrad and Moscow military districts were created on its territory.

According to the SSU, Nikiforov was linked to Wagner PMC leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, and in 2014 during the occupation of Donbas, his mercenaries carried out this general’s orders.

He, according to the SSU, also gave the order to shoot down an Il-76MD that was transporting ammunition and armored vehicles for Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers defending Luhansk airport in June 2014. Forty-nine people were killed in the crash.

In August 2016, the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine included Nikiforov on the list of those accused of “crimes against the foundations of Ukraine’s national security, peace, and international law and order.”