Overview
- Russian outlets RBC and Kommersant reported Monday that Putin appointed Col. Gen. Alexander Chaiko to replace Viktor Afzalov as commander-in-chief of the Aerospace Forces.
- No presidential decree had been published to confirm the move by the Kremlin or the Defense Ministry at the time of reporting.
- The Council of the European Union sanctioned Chaiko in March 2026, citing responsibility it ascribed for killings in Bucha during Russia’s early occupation.
- Ukraine’s security service and prosecutors have charged and accused him over the 2022 assault on Kyiv, saying he led the push and ordered Borodyanka airstrikes that killed more than 30 people and destroyed six apartment blocks.
- Chaiko earlier commanded Russia’s forces in Syria, later led the Eastern Military District, and received the Hero of Russia title in 2020.