Russia on Saturday tapped a general with significant combat experience in Syria to oversee its military operations in Ukraine, a U.S. official confirmed.

Driving the news: Gen. Aleksandr V. Dvornikov will lead the Russian forces with the goal of increasing coordination between various units. Up until this point, the Russian forces have been commanded separately, the New York Times reports.

• Russia had previously been running its military offensive in Ukraine from Moscow, with no central war commander on the ground, per the Times.
• A lack of organization has led to a significant number of Russian casualties in the face of stout Ukrainian resistance.
• The BBC first reported on Dvornikov's new position.

The big picture: The Pentagon said Friday that some Russian military units are "almost completely devastated" and that it's unclear "whether they will ever be reformed."

Go deeper: Dashboard: Russian invasion of Ukraine