New Ukrainian armed forces commander in the crosshairs of Russian propaganda onslaught

A pivotal decision to change the leadership of the Ukrainian army was made on February 8th. Oleksandr Syrsky succeeded Valerii Zaluzhnyi. Syrsky made his debut appearance on the front line in his new role on Wednesday

According to the Ukrainska Pravda website, the general, accompanied by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, prioritized discussions with commanders in the Kupyansk and Avdiivka zones, where the climax of fighting occurs.

Confirming this himself on his Telegram channel, Oleksandr Syrsky noted that the situation on the front is "extremely tense and difficult," and Russian troops "attack without concern for losses." He even conceded that the Russians have a numerical superiority.

The general's statement was met with much excitement in Moscow. For days, Syrsky's name hasn't left the Kremlin's propagandist media; they are working to discredit him in every way possible.

Syrsky was portrayed as the "Butcher of Bakhmut" by the Izvestia website, set to "execute exceedingly risky operations for the army, just to placate President Zelensky and provide him the chance to craft an illusion of media victories." According to the news outlet, even Ukrainian soldiers label Syrsky the "butcher" due to his ruthless indifference towards human loss.

Pro-Kremlin political analyst Aleksandr Kazakov, commenting on "Russia Today," stated that for Russians, "Syrsky is a better choice than Zaluzhny. Zaluzhny is younger. Plus, Syrsky is a Russian General Staff Academy graduate, making it easier for us to figure him out."

The Ukrainian Center for Countering Disinformation has pointed out that Russian propaganda routinely portrays Syrsky as a Russian. As per the center's experts, the primary motive behind this is to cripple Ukrainians' faith in Syrsky.

A few hours after his appointment, Russian media started reminding people of Oleksandr Syrsky's Russian origin at birth. In addition, alleged proof began to emerge that indicates that the general's parents are genuine patriots who back Putin.

Source: "Gazeta Wyborcza"