General Viktor Afzalov Appointed as New Commander of Russian Aerospace Forces, Replacing Sergey Surovikin

General Viktor Afzalov has been appointed as the new Commander of the Russian Aerospace Forces. The relevant announcement was made on the Russian Ministry of Defense's website, according to Meduza. On October 20, TASS and RIA Novosti reported on Afzalov's appointment, citing their sources within the Aerospace Forces.

It was noted that Afzalov previously served as the acting commander of the Aerospace Forces while former Commander Sergey Surovikin was in charge of the unified group of troops in Ukraine.

According to the Ministry of Defense, Afzalov was appointed as the deputy commander of the Air Force and Air Defense of the Eastern Military District in 2012, and in July 2017, he was named the commander of the Air Force and Air Defense Army. By August 2018, he became the Chief of Staff of the Russian Aerospace Forces.

Surovikin, the former commander of the Russian Aerospace Forces, led the unified group of Russian forces in Ukraine from October 2022 until January 2023. In January, the commander of the General Staff of the Russian Federation, Valery Gerasimov, took over command of the group, and Surovikin was demoted to the position of his deputy. In August, it became known that he was removed from the position of Commander of the Russian Aerospace Forces.