Several Kremlin-aligned news agencies have reported that a top Russian officer who oversaw the battle in eastern Ukraine has been relieved of his duties.
Although Col. Gen. Gennady Anashkin’s apparent dismissal has not been officially explained, a Telegram channel closely associated with the Russian Defense Ministry has claimed that he fabricated up stories of military victories, especially in the vicinity of Siversk in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine.
The government had never formally declared Anashkin’s appointment as head of the army’s Southern Group.
However, a list of attendees at a May meeting with President Vladimir Putin that was posted on the Kremlin’s website included him as acting commander.
Citing unnamed sources inside the Defense Ministry, the Russian news agency RBC said on Saturday that Anashkin was fired as part of a scheduled rotation.
On the same day, the online publication Mash announced on its Telegram channel that Anashkin had been fired.
Russian officials have not released an official confirmation of his termination; NBC News has contacted the Defense Ministry for comment.
But according to Rybar, a well-known Telegram channel affiliated with the ministry, Anashkin was fired for spreading untrue information about Seversk using the Russian name for the area.
The blogger said that some of the regions under Anashkin’s control had come to be associated with lies and unwarranted losses, and he accused him of nonexistent triumphs.
Rostec, a state-owned military industry company, provides funds to Rybar for contracted work. In June 2022, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on the corporation.
According to the U.S. authorities, Rybar depends on Rostec’s financing and connections, which promote hate and violence throughout the country.
Oleksandr Syrskyi, the commander in chief of Ukraine, stated last week that Russia had launched its biggest bombing against his country in nearly three months. He went on to say that the Kremlin had also sent tens of thousands of troops to retake land in the Kursk area of Russia that Ukraine had taken in an unexpected invasion in August.
Last week, Putin also formally lowered the bar for his nation’s deployment of nuclear weapons.
The revised pact permits Moscow to strike with nuclear weapons in the event that a non-nuclear nation, like Ukraine, backed by a nuclear state, like the US, launches an attack.
After the Biden administration permitted Ukraine to launch an attack inside Russia using American missiles, it was officially approved on the same day that Kyiv launched its first long-range ATACMS missiles supplied by the United States against Russia.
Note: Every piece of content is rigorously reviewed by our team of experienced writers and editors to ensure its accuracy. Our writers use credible sources and adhere to strict fact-checking protocols to verify all claims and data before publication. If an error is identified, we promptly correct it and strive for transparency in all updates, feel free to reach out to us via email. We appreciate your trust and support!