Russia’s military has replaced the commander of one of its six operational groups engaged in the war in Ukraine, according to the RBC news website, which cited anonymous sources on Tuesday.
Lieutenant General Alexander Sanchik has reportedly been appointed as the acting commander of Russia’s “South” group of forces, taking over from Colonel General Gennady Anashkin. The change is said to be part of a “planned rotation,” according to a source from Russia’s Defense Ministry.
Pro-war military bloggers indicated over the weekend that Anashkin was removed after providing false reports to his superiors about the capture of settlements near the Ukrainian town of Siversk. Some bloggers claimed that this misinformation led to unnecessary casualties on the front lines.
The “South” group has been actively engaged in recent weeks around the towns of Kurakhove, Chasiv Yar, and Siversk in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine. This unit is comprised of forces from Russia’s Southern Military District.
Sanchik, who attended a May 15 meeting with President Vladimir Putin as acting commander of the Eastern Military District, has a long military career. He served as deputy commander of the Eastern Military District in 2023 and led the district’s 35th Combined Arms Army in 2020.
In February 2022, just before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Putin promoted Sanchik to the rank of colonel general.
