Colonel General Alexander Lapin, who until recently held the position of commander of the 'North' troop grouping, was dismissed from military service, reported RBC citing a source.
According to 'Tatar-Inform', Lapin may be assigned to civilian service as an assistant to the head of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov. He will oversee recruitment for contract service, support for participants of the special military operation and their families, as well as the rehabilitation of veterans.
In August 2025, the Ministry of Defense announced that the new commander of the 'North' troop grouping became Colonel General Yevgeny Nikiforov.
In 2022, he led the 'Center' grouping, which participated in the battles for Lysychansk. In March 2022, the colonel general awarded his own son Denis (commander of a tank regiment) for 'heroism' near Chernihiv. In July 2022, he himself received the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.
In the fall of 2022, Ramzan Kadyrov publicly criticized Lapin, believing that he allowed a breakthrough of Ukrainian forces, suggesting demoting the colonel general to the rank of private and sending him to the front line to 'wash away the shame with blood'.
In January 2023, Lapin became the Chief of the General Staff — the first deputy commander-in-chief of the Ground Forces, in March 2024 — the commander of the Leningrad Military District.
In August 2025, the Ministry of Defense announced that the new commander of the 'North' troop grouping became Colonel General Yevgeny Nikiforov.