Aleksandr Lapin, the former commander of the Russian Army’s Center and North groups, has reportedly been dismissed from the military officially as of Sunday, Sept. 21.
Lapin faced criticism in 2022 for failing to defend occupied northeastern Ukraine. Despite opposition from Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, he was made chief of staff of the Russian Ground Forces in early 2023, then commander of the Leningrad Military District in March 2024, and Northern Group of Forces in November.
Lapin was accused of enabling Ukraine’s Kursk incursion in August 2024 by dismissing an interagency council tasked with overseeing security in the region months before Kyiv’s offensive.
RBC Russia reported on Sunday that Lapin has been officially dismissed from the military, citing a “source familiar with the personnel decision.”
The outlet said Lapin is to become an assistant to the new head of Tatarstan, Rustam Minnikhanov, assisting the latter on support for soldiers and families, recruitment, rehabilitation and reintegration.
Colonel General Yevgeny Nikiforov replaced Lapin as the commander of the North group of forces in August this year.
Russian news outlet Lenta said Lapin resigned from his commander post due to poor health, citing milbloggers inside the country – with Lapin’s replacement hailed as good news by some pro-Kremlin bloggers.
Born in Russia’s Kazan in 1964, Lapin also served as the commander of the Russian military in Syria before the 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The Moscow-backed Syrian regime was ousted in December 2024.
Lapin is under sanctions by a number of Western nations for his role in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.