Alexander Lapin returns

Decorated general lambasted by Ramzan Kadyrov as ‘incompetent’ is appointed head of Russia’s Ground Forces

Colonel General Alexander Lapin, who previously served as the commander of Russia’s Central Military District, has been appointed chief of staff of the country’s ground forces, according to sources from the Russian Defense Ministry who spoke to RBC and Ura.ru. The ministry itself has not officially commented on the claims. Russian presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the Kremlin can neither confirm nor deny the reports. “There are open decrees, and there are decrees marked ‘secret.’ Among the decrees that are released publicly, there are no such decrees,” he said in response to a question about Lapin’s appointment.

Earlier in Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Lapin led the army group “Center.” His troops initially reached the outskirts of Kyiv before being forced to retreat, after which they were transferred from northern Ukraine to the country’s east. There, the group captured the now-liberated city of Lyman in the Donetsk region as well as Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk in the Luhansk region, among other territories. Once Lapin’s forces had gained control over almost the entire Luhansk region, Vladimir Putin named him a Hero of Russia.

In October, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov began publicly criticizing Alexander Lapin. After Russian troops retreated from Lyman, Kadyrov called the general “incompetent” and accused him of being “covered from above by the leadership of the General Staff.” Kadyrov even alleged that Lapin wasn’t actually in Lysychansk when his troops captured the city (a key part of the “achievement” for which Putin decorated him). Several weeks later, the Chechen head blamed Lapin for allowing Ukrainian troops to break through Russia’s front line in the Donetsk region. Wagner PMC founder Evgeny Prigozhin later made it clear that he agreed with Kadyrov.

After Kadyrov’s call-out, Lapin was removed from his post. Citing sources from Russia’s Defense Ministry, the outlets RBC and The Moscow Times reported in late October that Lapin had been removed from command just two days after Kadyrov criticized him for his troops’ performance in the Donetsk region. Though the reports were never confirmed, the Defense Ministry reported on November 3 that a new commander had been appointed “during Lapin’s absence.” According to the website Ura.ru, Lapin took a three-week vacation.

Alexander Lapin’s own son fought in Ukraine under his father’s command. In late March, the Russian Defense Ministry’s television channel Zvezda aired a report about how Lapin had presented awards to “soldiers who demonstrated bravery and heroism while liberating settlements in the Chernihiv region.” According to BBC Russia, one of the award recipients was Lieutenant Colonel Denis Lapin, the commander of the 1st Guards Tank Regiment, who had led an assault on the cities of Sumy and Chernihiv. On the day the report aired, Russia announced its retreat from Ukraine’s northern regions.