General who took command of Russian troops at start of invasion in Ukraine dismissed from military service

Russian Colonel General Alexander Lapin has been dismissed from military service.

Source: RBC (RosBusinessConsulting), citing a source familiar with the personnel decision

Details: Earlier, Lapin had been replaced as commander of the Leningrad Military District by Colonel General Yevgeny Nikiforov. 

According to RBC, Lapin will be appointed assistant to the head of Tatarstan, where he will be responsible for working with participants of the war against Ukraine and their families, as well as for social and medical rehabilitation and reintegration of soldiers after their return.

Alexander Lapin was born in 1964 in Kazan. In 2017, he served as chief of staff of the Russian military grouping in Syria, later heading the Central Military District of the Russian Armed Forces. In 2022, Lapin commanded the Tsentr (Centre) group of forces in the war against Ukraine. After the retreat of Russian troops from the town of Lyman in Donetsk Oblast, he was sharply criticised by Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov.

Lapin later served in the Russian ground forces command, then headed the Leningrad Military District and the Sever (North) group of forces. On this front, Russian troops fought for the city of Vovchansk in Kharkiv Oblast, held the line along the border, conducted operations in Russia’s Kursk Oblast and created a so-called "buffer zone" in Sumy and Kharkiv oblasts.

Background: In August 2025, the Russian Ministry of Defence announced that Colonel General Yevgeny Nikiforov had become the new commander of the Sever (North) group of forces.

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