Aleksandr Lapin, the former commander of the Russian Army’s Center and North groups, has reportedly been dismissed from the military officially as of Sunday, Sept. 21. Lapin faced criticism in 2022 for failing to defend occupied northeastern Ukraine. Colonel General Yevgeny Nikiforov replaced Lapin as the commander of the North group of forces in August this year. Born in Russia’s Kazan in 1964, Lapin also served as the commander of the Russian military in Syria before the 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Lapin is under sanctions by a number of Western nations for his role in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.