Senior General Of Russia Reportedly Fired Due To False Reports About The Battlefield

Colonel General Gennady Anashkin. (Wikimedia Commons/Kremlin.ru)

JAKARTA - The pro-Russian war media and blogger reported that a senior general was fired for providing false reports about the situation on the battlefield, as Defense Minister Andrei Belousov tried to get rid of poor commanders.

As winter approaches, Russian forces have advanced at the fastest pace in Ukraine since the start of the 2022 invasion, despite much slower progress in some areas - particularly around Siversk in the eastern region of Donetsk.

Russian media quoted unnamed sources as saying Colonel General Gennady Anashkin, commander of the South Forces Group, had been removed from his command, although there was no official confirmation.

Russian war blogs have long complained about operating command around Siversk, where they said less supported Russian units were thrown into a deadly battle without any clear tactical advantages.

"Only lazy people don't write about the problem there: overall, it takes about two months for the system to react correctly," said Rybar, a respected pro-Russian blogger on Telegram.

"Anashkin was removed from office because of a false report towards Seversk," Rybar said, using a Russian version of the name of the place.

A war correspondent for Russian state television also said Anashkin had been removed from his command.

Russia's Defense Ministry did not respond to a request for comment. Reuters, who was unable to verify the report, was unable to contact General Anashkin for comment due to the security situation within Russia.

If Russia can control the Siversk region, Russia can move forward towards Kramatorsk, a major city in the region.

The RBC quoted an unnamed Ministry of Defense source as saying General Anashkin had been transferred as part of a planned "rotation" of personnel.

In his report on command changes, leading pro-Russian war blogger Yuri Podolyaka quoted Defense Minister Belousov as saying, "You can make a mistake but you can't lie".