A former commander of Russian troops in Syria was named to head the country's aerospace forces, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Wednesday. A ministry statement said Lieutenant-General Alexander Chaiko had been appointed to the position last month by virtue of a decree issued by President Vladimir Putin. He had previously served as deputy head of the chief of staff of the armed forces. The ministry said Chaiko had headed for nearly a year the group of Russian forces in Syria deployed from 2015 at the behest of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who was granted asylum in Russia after being ousted from power. Chaiko had also headed Russian forces in the country's eastern district.
