MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russian Colonel General Alexander Lapin, a senior commander who served in the first phase of the Ukraine war, has been dismissed from military service, Russian media outlet RBC reported on Sunday, citing an unidentified source.
Lapin, 61, will be appointed as an aide of Tatarstan's head, responsible for support for veterans and their families, according to a local news agency Tatar Inform.
In 2022, Lapin commanded Russian Central Military District and the "Centre" grouping in Ukraine, later facing criticism from Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov after Russian forces withdrew from the Ukrainian town of Lyman.
Later he was appointed the head of the Leningrad Military District, where he also led the "North" grouping in Ukraine and near the Ukrainian border. He was replaced in August this year by Colonel General Yevgeny Nikiforov.
(Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Gleb Stolyarov; Editing by Guy Faulconbridge)
