Russia appoints new overall commander for its military in Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) toasts with Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev next to Sergei Surovikin, the commander of Russian troops in Syria, after a ceremony to bestow state awards on military personnel who fought in Syria, at the Kremlin in Moscow on December 28, 2017. (Photo by Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / POOL / AFP) (Photo by KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

A new commander has been appointed by Russia to lead all of its forces in Ukraine.

The leader of Russian forces in Syria was an Army general. After a number of setbacks, including heavy losses of troops and equipment, and the forfeiture of thousands of square miles of occupied territory, his new role will be to galvanise Russian troops.

Russian President Putin wants to conscript hundreds of thousands of Russian men for the war. The last time Moscow drafted civilians into the military was during World War II.

The Kremlin imposed a partial draft due to a series of stunning Ukrainian advances.

Putin made a declaration last week that four Ukrainian regions were now part of Russia. Referendums held in Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine are seen as rigged and illegal by the Western governments.

Putin said that the results are known. There are four new regions of Russia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he would apply for membership in the NATO military alliance.

Since the beginning of the war, Ukrainian forces have been aided by an arsenal of Western weaponry. The reputation of the war machine has been damaged.

The cost to civilians has been huge as the Ukrainians fight to regain control of one village at a time.

According to the U.N., Russia's invasion has killed more than 6,000 people and injured more than 8,000. According to the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, the death toll in Ukraine may be higher.