Russian general Alexander Lapin, dismissed from military service after setbacks in Ukraine, becomes Tatarstan deputy prime minister overseeing war-related affairs
Source: TASS
Tatarstan’s leader, Rustam Minnikhanov, said the regional government will create a separate department for “supporting participants in the special military operation.” Retired Colonel General Alexander Lapin will oversee it as deputy prime minister.
Lapin previously served as Minnikhanov’s aide on “the special military operation, defense, and veterans’ affairs.”
Media outlets said Lapin had been considered to chair the Defense Committee in the next State Duma, but his candidacy ultimately “was not approved in Moscow.”
At the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Lapin commanded the Center Group of Forces, which reached the outskirts of Kyiv. He was removed from command after Russian troops withdrew from Lyman in the Donetsk region. Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov sharply criticized the general, calling him “an incompetent shielded by top officials in the General Staff.”
In January 2023, Lapin became chief of staff of the Russian Ground Forces. In March 2024, he took command of the reestablished Leningrad Military District. The North Group of Forces, responsible in part for the Kursk sector, was formed around the same time. The Wall Street Journal said Lapin was responsible for gaps in Russian defenses. In August 2025, Lapin was forced to retire.
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