Commanders of Two Brigades to be Dismissed for False Reports that Led to the Fall of Siversk

After the loss of the city of Siversk in the north of Donetsk region, the commander of the 54th Separate Mechanized Brigade, Colonel Oleksiy Konoval, and the commander of the 10th Separate Mountain Assault Brigade, Colonel Volodymyr Poteshkin, are being dismissed because of false reports.

This was reported by Ukrainska Pravda, citing its own sources in the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

According to the publication, the 54th Mechanized Brigade held the defense in the city itself, while the 10th Mountain Assault Brigade was stationed south of Siversk.

Konoval, the 54th Brigade’s commander, has reportedly been relieved of his post, while Poteshkin, the 10th Brigade’s commander, is undergoing treatment and will likely be dismissed upon his return to the unit.

The sources of the publication said that the reason for the dismissal was the false reports of the command of both brigades. They reported on the presence of positions in their areas of responsibility, which in fact had not been manned for a long time.

According to Ukrainska Pravda, the 11th Army Corps, which had the 54th and 10th Brigades under its operational control, trusted the brigades and was confident that their reports were true. The corps’ inspectors regularly visited the units, but they did not find any problems or inconsistencies between the reports and the real situation on the battlefield, because, according to the interlocutors of the publication, this was consistently concealed.

Operational Command East removed the 11th Corps and its commander, Brigadier General Serhiy Sirchenko, from control of the situation in Siversk. At the same time, inspection commissions arrived at the 54th and 10th brigades.

The Soledar tactical group was formed in this area. It was headed by the former brigadier of the 54th Brigade and now the commander of the Desna training center, Brigadier General Denys Maistrenko. The interlocutors of the publication who worked with Maistrenko provide favorable feedback about him.

Brigadier General Dmytro Bratishko (former commander of the 95th Air Assault Brigade), commander of the Operational Command East, also took charge of the tactical group.

According to the publication, the Russians captured Siversk, taking advantage of the thick fogs that were in the Donetsk region in November and December 2025. Around the 20th of November, the 54th Brigade began to lose its ability to destroy the Russians in the number of troops that were drawn into the city.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that the Ukrainian Defense Forces withdrew from their positions in the village of Siversk, Bakhmut district, Donetsk region, on December 23, 2025.

The agency noted that intense fighting continues in the Siversk area. The Russian occupation forces have an advantage in manpower and equipment and, despite significant losses, do not stop active offensive actions. On December 26, in the Sloviansk sector, the Defense Forces stopped eight offensives in the areas of Siversk and Dronivka.