Russia’s takeover of Ukraine has not been as clear cut as Vladimir Putin would have liked.
His invasion has suffered multiple setbacks, particularly in Kyiv.
The Russian President has now turned his attention to Ukraine’s eastern regions and has appointed two war commanders to help him.
Who are the war commanders leading the invasion?
ALEKSANDR DVORNIKOV
60-year-old General Aleksandr Dvornikov has now been tasked with gaining back control.
The commander is one of Russia’s most experienced military officers, having earned the title of the ‘executioner of civilians’.
Dvornikov rose through the ranks in 1982 under the former Soviet regime.
He fought in the second war in Chechnya of 1999, which left its capital Grozny in ruins.
In 2015 he was sent to help Syrian President Bashar al-Assad win his civil war.
He was widely accused of crimes against humanity, bombing neighbourhoods and hospitals, and was quickly dubbed the “Butcher of Syria”.
At the time, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdulrahman, said: “Bashar al-Assad is not the only one to be held accountable for killing civilians in Syria — the Russian general should too.”
Dvornikov has served as the commander of the Southern Military District ever since.
Recent reports claim he was behind the attack on Kramatorsk railway station where at least 57 people, including children, have been found dead.
“The general will just be another author of crimes and brutality against Ukrainian civilians", said White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.
RAMZAN KADYROV
While Dvornikov now attempts to regain control of Donbas, Putin’s other attack dog, Ramzan Kadyrov, is attempting the same in Mariupol.
In a statement posted on his Telegram channel, Kadyrov said: “There will be an offensive - not only on Mariupol, but also on other places, cities and villages.”
The Chechen strongman is one of Russia’s biggest allies.
In 1999, his family switched sides in the second Chechen war, which ultimately helped Russia win the war, and propelled Putin to the presidency.
Kadyrov was rewarded in 2007 when the Kremlin installed him as president of the Chechen Republic.
He was aged just 30.
He has gone on to rule with an iron fist for the past 15 years.
During the last decade, he has been repeatedly accused by the United States and the European Union of rights abuses against his own people, which he denies.
He also has a reputation of being eccentric, especially on social media.
Last year he forced his entire country of Chechnya to look for his lost cat.
His Instagram in recent years has become a place of what some describe as erratic behaviour. His feed regularly features exotic animals, Putin T-shirts, and death threats to opposition leaders.
What difference will this make?
With both warlords at his side, Putin now hopes he can turn the tide of his war.
After what turned out to be a losing battle in Kyiv, Russia appears to be changing tact on its campaign.
Putin is focusing his sights on creating a land corridor between Russia and Crimea, the area he annexed from Ukraine in 2014.
“I assure you - not one step will be taken back,” Kadyrov has said ominously.
If Russia secures Mariupol and the Ukrainian held areas of Donbas by May 9, which is the WW2 Victory Day Parade in Russia, that will be claimed as a victory for the invasion.
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