Putin Replaces Key Commanders After Failure to Capture Donbas as Promised

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced changes to the command of Russian military groupings operating in Ukraine.

The decree approving the changes was published on the Russian president’s website.

The changes came shortly after the pace of Russia’s offensive in Ukraine slowed sharply.

According to the Ukrainian OSINT project DeepState, Russian forces captured only 88 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory in July, compared with 57 square kilometers in June. In May, Russian forces lost control of 11 square kilometers.

Colonel General Andrey Ivanaev, who previously commanded the Vostok Group of Forces, will replace Valery Solodchuk as commander of the Tsentr Group of Forces, which operates in the northwestern and central parts of the Donetsk region.

“The Tsentr Group of Forces is one of our leading formations, performing the most important and responsible tasks to liberate the Donetsk People’s Republic,” Putin said.

Solodchuk, who has been accused of involvement in the Bucha massacre, has been removed as commander of the grouping. He will now head the Defense Ministry’s Joint Rear Services.

Putin appointed Pyotr Bolgaev, the chief of staff of the Vostok Group of Forces, to command the group, which operates in the southern part of the Donetsk sector.

Under a decision by Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov:

• Colonel General Aleksandr Sanchik will be responsible for overseeing procurement orders for weapons and military and special equipment.
• Deputy Defense Minister Aleksei Krivoruchko was put in charge of developing advanced weapons and military and special equipment.

According to Reuters, the Russian General Staff promised Putin as early as last year that the Ukrainian front would collapse and that Russia would take control of the belt of “fortress cities” — Kostiantynivka, Druzhkivka, Sloviansk, and Kramatorsk.

In 2026, the deadlines were first pushed back to the fall and then to the end of the year.

During the same meeting with Defense Ministry officials, Putin also appointed Denis Lyamin, chief of staff of the Tsentr Group of Forces, as commander of Russia’s Unmanned Systems Forces.