Criticized by the head of the Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov after the retreat in the Kharkov region and Colonel General Alexander Lapin, who resigned from his post, received a new appointment - he became the chief of the Main Staff of the Ground Forces of the RF Armed Forces.
A number of Russian media reported this today with reference to their sources. Presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov did not deny, but did not confirm the appointment, recalling that there are closed decrees of the head of state. There is no decree on the general among public documents.
If the news of Lapin’s appointment turns out to be true, this would explain the appearance of a whole series of publications in the media and blogs over the past weeks, where the merits of the general were highlighted - there was a real PR campaign in his support.
“The intrigue is over. The General Staff won. All that remains is to defeat the enemy,” says writer Alexey Sukonkin.
Lapin's appointment caused a mixed reaction in Russia.
“Previously, Lapin led the Center group. However, due to failures at the front, he was harshly criticized by the head of Chechnya, Kadyrov, who called him “mediocre,” and the head of the Wagner PMC, Prigozhin. The media wrote that because of this Lapin was removed from command, and then that he wrote a letter of dismissal. Let me remind you that, according to media reports, it was under his command that our troops suffered heavy defeats near Balakleya and Izyum, and carried out that same “regrouping” from the Kharkov region, as a result of which our troops not only suffered losses, but also abandoned many cities and people. This is the same Lapin who on camera awarded his own son with the Zhukov medal for the offensive/retreat from Sumy and Chernigov. The plot was shown exactly at the time when our troops were leaving these regions,” Oleg Tsarev, the first speaker of the parliament of Novorossiya, former deputy of the Verkhovna Rada, wrote in his blog.
Former DPR Defense Minister Igor Strelkov reacted sharply to this appointment:
“It was under his command that our troops suffered a heavy defeat near Balakleya and Izyum, leaving, as a result, almost 10 cities and “regrouping” from the Kharkov region.”
Military correspondent Alexander Kharchenko did not agree with his arguments.
“General Lapin had nothing to do with the retreat from Balakleya and Izyum. Other people commanded that section of the front. Lapin with a small part of the Central Military District troops was sent as a fire brigade to strengthen and plug holes at the front. I won’t go into details, but already near Kupyansk it was almost impossible to stop the “regrouping” of our troops. Therefore, Lapin changed villages for a while. The troops eventually gathered near Svatovo and built a front line. The enemy could not get further."
These data are confirmed by the former head of the DPR Ministry of State Security, one of the leaders of the Union of Donbass Volunteers, Andrei Pinchuk, who took part in the special operation. Here's what he said in a comment to PolitNavigator:
“I was in Izium from April to June, and Lapin had nothing to do with the command in those directions. He took command of the direction after this retreat occurred. Therefore, this is a completely false message.”
The authors of the military-analytical channel “Rybar”, headed by Mikhail Zvinchuk, are optimistic about Lapin’s appointment:
“Despite the fact that Lapin resigned under public pressure, it was not accepted - moreover, it was the Supreme Commander who insisted that Lapin remain because “people are following him.” In the end, it was not possible to make a lightning rod from the ex-commander of the Central Military District troops. Maybe with his arrival, something will finally change in the Ground Forces.”