Russian colonel general latest military commander to be replaced in Ukraine: UK

Russia-Ukraine War: UK ministry said, “Lapin has been widely criticised for poor performance on the battlefields in Ukraine."

A Russian colonel general has been replaced in the latest “series of dismissals” of senior military commanders since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the UK ministry of defence said. Major general Alexander Linkov was appointed acting commander of Russia’s central military district, replacing Colonel general Alexander Lapin, UK defence ministry said in its latest intelligence update.

Russia-Ukraine War: A Ukrainian serviceman stands at destroyed bridge near the Ukrainian border with Russia. (AFP)

The ministry said, “Lapin has been widely criticised for poor performance on the battlefields in Ukraine by both Checken leader Ramzan Kadyrov and Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin. These dismissals represent a pattern of blame against senior Russian military commanders for failures to achieve Russian objectives on the battlefield.”

“This is in part likely an attempt to insulate and deflect blame from Russian senior leadership at home,” it added.

It was also reported that amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the United States is encouraging Kyiv to hold negotiation talks with Russia. The Washington Post reported citing unnamed sources as saying that the request by American officials was not aimed at pushing Ukraine to the negotiating table. It was rather a calculated attempt to ensure Kyiv maintains the support of other nations, the report said.

"Ukraine fatigue is a real thing for some of our partners," the report quoted an unnamed US official as saying. A state department spokesperson said, "The Kremlin continues to escalate this war. The Kremlin has demonstrated its unwillingness to seriously engage in negotiations since even before it launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine."