Top General Commanding Troops Near Bakhmut 'Missing' In Russia

The Kremlin may have removed the military officer from command because of failures.

The Russian Defence Ministry has removed Lieutenant General Andrei Sychevoy from command because of his failures in the Bakhmut area, says a new report by the US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

A Russian instructor of the Storm Z amphibious assault unit suggested that the Russian military command removed Sychevoy from his position for conducting unprepared and unsupported counterattacks south of Bakhmut near Klishchiivka and Andriivka. Analysts note that Sychevoy's current role in the Russian army is unknown.

"Sychevoy previously commanded Russia's Western Group of Forces in Kharkiv region - until his dismissal in early September 2022 - and this statement is the first speculation seen that Sychevoy has been involved in military operations in Ukraine since September 2022. "The prominent Russian ultra-nationalist Tsargrad media outlet said in August 2023 that Sychevoy refused all requests for comment from journalists, indicating that he had retained an official position and possibly had the intention of keeping that position secret," the report said."

Andrei Sychevoy - Facts about Lt. Genepal

Andrei Sychevoy is 54. The future lieutenant general of the Russian Armed Forces was born in Krymsk district of Krasnodar Territory, graduated from Suvorov, and in 1990 - Ulyanovsk Guards Higher Tank Command School. He served in tank and motorised rifle units. A few years ago he became chief of staff of the Fifth Combined Arms Army of the Eastern Military District. After that, he is believed to have made it to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin's secret list and was assigned to the command of the Eighth Army, which was supposed to monitor the borders, primarily with Ukraine.

On July 20, 2022, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu appointed Sychevoy as commander of Russian troops in the Western Military District to replace Colonel-General Aleksandr Zhuravlev, who had been removed.

Sychevoy is believed to have been dismissed from his post in September 2022. At the same time, there were reports that he was in charge of Russian defence in Donetsk Region during the Ukrainian counter-offensive.