By Samah Abdul Fattah | 2024-06-21

Russia's track record of assigning generals with bad reputations to command its troops abroad does not bode well for its future in Syria, analysts said, pointing to the Kremlin's current appointee as emblematic of its poor choices.

Gen. Sergey Kisel, who has been commanding Russian forces in Syria since late 2023, was removed from office in 2022 for incompetence in managing subordinate troops in Kharkiv during Russia's war on Ukraine.

He also is accused of involvement in a criminal case regarding the organization in 2019 of an illegal garbage dump in the Russian city of Nizhny Novgorod.

In Syria, Kisel has been accused of involvement in war crimes, corruption, theft and drug trafficking, and allegedly has tried to recruit orphans to fight for Russia.

"Kisel regularly visits some orphanages in Russian deployment areas on the Syrian coast under the guise of helping orphans," Syrian lawyer Bashir al-Bassam told Al-Fassel.

In January, Kisel was seen at the Islamic Benevolent Association's Orphan Home in Latakia, where he distributed food baskets and toys.

"The main goal of these visits is to woo children into joining the ranks of Russia-backed militias or private security companies in the future," al-Bassam said.

War crimes in Syria

As commander of Russian forces in Syria, Kisel is directly implicated in war crimes against civilians, especially in Idlib province, according to al-Bassam.

Russian airstrikes and bombardment targeting civilian homes, infrastructure and agricultural areas continue to this day, he said.

Many Russian officers in Syria have been implicated in corrupt activities, such as the manipulation of logistical support and supplies and the management of drug trafficking networks, he said, and Kisel is no exception.

"His involvement may be direct or indirect, but he has taken no action to stop these operations, making him legally responsible," al-Bassam noted.

Kisel is not the only Russian general accused of war crimes in Syria and Ukraine.

Col. Gen. Aleksandr Chaiko is accused of committing war crimes in Syria in 2019 and 2020, including attacks on hospitals, schools and populated areas in Idlib.

In 2022, troops under Chaiko's command tortured and executed hundreds of Ukrainian civilians in Bucha and other towns around Kyiv, according to eyewitnesses and numerous news reports.

Since Russia's intervention in the Syrian war in September 2015, 8,729 civilians have been killed in Russian bombardment, including 2,121 children and 1,327 women, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said May 30.

"Moscow and its war machine have spilled the blood of Syrians despite claiming to be a 'political mediator' or 'broker' that can deal with all parties to the conflict," it said.

Meanwhile, the United States and its allies continue to battle "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS) terrorists in Syria and Iran-backed militants who are subverting the authority of the country's central government.