Russia dismisses General Lapin following failures in Ukraine war

According to RBC-Ukraine, citing Russian media reports, Colonel General Yevgeny Nikiforov has replaced Lapin as commander of the Leningrad Military District. Russian media report that Lapin will take a new role as assistant to the head of Tatarstan, Rustam Minnikhanov.

Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Lapin led the “Center” military group, which advanced to the outskirts of Kyiv before suffering defeat. The group was later redeployed to eastern Ukraine, temporarily occupying Lyman in the Donetsk region, as well as Severodonetsk and Lysychansk in the Luhansk region.

After the retreat from Lyman, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov sharply criticized Lapin, calling him “an incompetent commander who is being covered up by the top leadership of the General Staff.” Lapin was subsequently removed from his post and, in January 2023, appointed chief of the Main Staff of the Russian Ground Forces.

Lapin’s failures in Kursk

In March 2024, Lapin was assigned to the restored Leningrad Military District and the newly created “North” group, responsible for the Kharkiv and Kursk sectors. According to The Wall Street Journal, Lapin was responsible for failures in defending the Kursk region, facing severe personnel shortages — an issue attributed to broader flaws in the Russian command structure.

Prior to his dismissal, Russia had already reported that Lapin was removed from his position as commander of the “North” group.