Commanders of 54th and 10th brigades removed after loss of Siversk

The commanders of Ukraine's 54th Separate Mechanised Brigade, Colonel Oleksii Konoval, and 10th Separate Mountain Assault Brigade, Colonel Volodymyr Potieshkin, have been removed from their posts after the rapid loss of the city of Siversk in northern Donetsk Oblast. The 54th brigade defended Ukrainian positions inside the city while the 10th Separate Mountain Assault Brigade was positioned south of Siversk.

Source: three Ukrainska Pravda sources in Ukraine's defence forces

Details: Colonel Oleksii Konoval has already been dismissed. Colonel Volodymyr Potieshkin is undergoing medical treatment and is likely to be dismissed after returning to the unit.

Ukrainska Pravda learned that the dismissals are linked to alleged falsification of reports by both brigades' leadership. The brigades reported that they held positions in their areas of responsibility, but in reality those positions had long remained without personnel. The alleged falsehood became apparent during the swift loss of the city. Russia said that it had seized Siversk on 12 December 2025.

Ukrainska Pravda reported that the 11th Army Corps, which had operational control over the 54th and 10th brigades, trusted the brigades and believed their reports matched reality. Inspectors from the corps regularly visited the units but did not identify problems or discrepancies because, the sources say, they were consistently concealed.

Operational Command Skhid (East) has removed the 11th Army Corps and its commander, Brigadier General Serhii Sirchenko, from overseeing the situation around Siversk. A tactical group called Soledar has been formed on that front and is led by Brigadier General Denys Maistrenko, the former commander of the 54th brigade and now head of the Desna training centre. Sources who worked with Maistrenko gave him positive recommendations.

Inspection commissions have been sent to the 54th and 10th brigades.

Brigadier General Dmytro Bratishko, commander of Operational Command Skhid, also took oversight of the Soledar tactical group.

According to the sources, Bratishko was furious when he learnt of the loss of Siversk and demanded that a Ukrainian flag be raised over parts of the city, almost by any means. A flag was delivered using unmanned ground vehicles, which are in short supply, to drone operators from the 54th brigade, who then carried it by drone to the railway station building in Siversk in a bid to stage a "flag-planting" moment to satisfy the commander, as seen in the picture.

According to the Ukrainska Pravda sources, Russian forces captured Siversk by exploiting thick fog that covered Donetsk Oblast in November and December 2025. The 54th brigade began to lose its ability to kill Russian troops in the numbers that were entering the city in the last third of November 2025. For example, 10 out of 15 Russian soldiers were killed while the remaining 5 slipped deeper into the city and entrenched themselves.

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