Russian of the week: General Aleksandr Dvornikov

Vladimir Putin has announced a new commander for Russia’s forces in Ukraine. His name is Army General Aleksandr Dvornikov. He was born in the Russian Far East on August 22 1961. We don’t have a time of birth for him. Here is his horoscope, with the hypothetical planets included:

Possibly the best thing about his chart is the Sun in Leo. The Sun is the ruler of Leo, and at the same time, it is conjunct Regulus, the royal star. Here is a person who has a strong sense of self, who is proud of his accomplishments. He will gravitate towards important people, and will have more than his fair share of good luck. The Sun is also conjunct the North Node and Uranus, so he has a nature affinity with dramatic and explosive events.

Furthermore, the Sun is exactly square the Mars-Saturn midpoint. This is a person who understands death and destruction, and knows how to mete it out. In Syria he was not averse to bombing cities to achieve his military aims, and in Ukraine we can expect the same thing. Interestingly, the Soviet Union’s most celebrate general, Georgy Zhukov, also had Sun square the Mars-Saturn midpoint.

We don’t know what Dvornikov’s Moon sign is – if he was born in the morning, before around 7.30 am, it would be in Sagittarius. After this time, Capricorn.

His Mars is in Libra, the sign of its detriment. However, having Mars in Libra doesn’t mean you can’t be a good general – Irwin Rommel had Mars in this sign.

Then there’s his Venus – in Cancer, opposition Saturn. Cancer is a sign that can be sentimental, but Saturn squelches is. We have a person who is able to control his feelings, and pursuade himself that the end justifies the means.

Additionally there is Mercury in Virgo conjunct Pluto. Aleksandr Dvornikov is not a fool, and he is capable of detailed planning. And if he looks at a problem for long enough, he can work out what needs to be done.

Finally, when Dvornikov was born the hypothetical planet Vulcanus was exactly square the Aries point. For most people this isn’t a big deal – it is a collective energy, that will have mininal impact. But if you are a senior Russian general, conducting a major European war, it becomes important. Witte and Lefeldt described the Vulcanus-Aries combination as “Power, might and force”. And that’s what Dvornikov is being hired for.