(UKRAINE, DONETSK REGION) – A senior Russian military commander has been dismissed following a series of costly battlefield failures in eastern Ukraine, highlighting persistent problems in Russia’s command structure as the war continues. General Sukhrab Akhmedov was removed from his post as deputy commander in chief of the Russian Navy for Coastal and Land Forces after a failed offensive near Dobropillia, which triggered strong internal criticism and public scrutiny.
Akhmedov had risen steadily through the ranks, aided by favourable reporting and official praise, eventually taking responsibility for Russian marine units. However, his record has been marked by repeated operations that resulted in heavy Russian losses without meaningful gains. Analysts and Ukrainian officials note that these losses were driven largely by command decisions rather than by unexpected Ukrainian actions.
The dismissal was reportedly ordered personally by Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. Although Akhmedov had been awarded the Hero of Russia title in 2025, the scale of losses around Pokrovsk and Dobropillia made his position increasingly untenable. The latest failure added to a pattern of unsuccessful offensives that had already damaged his standing within the Russian military.
The Dobropillia operation was intended to support a broader effort to encircle Pokrovsk from the northeast. It unfolded in several phases over four months. Initial actions relied on small infiltration groups attempting to identify weak points in Ukrainian defences. While limited advances were made at first, Ukrainian counterattacks quickly disrupted Russian units and forced them into exposed defensive positions.
In the following phase, Russian forces attempted to hold these positions despite insecure supply lines. Ukrainian drones and artillery targeted armoured vehicles, while strikes deeper behind the lines disrupted efforts to reinforce and consolidate gains. Rather than ordering a withdrawal, Akhmedov authorised continued mechanised assaults along the same routes. Each wave involved fewer vehicles and weaker coordination, making them increasingly vulnerable to Ukrainian drone attacks.
By late December, Russian armoured reserves in the sector had been largely depleted. Assaults shifted to the use of lightly protected civilian vehicles and quadbikes, which were also destroyed. Later attempts relied on infantry advancing on foot across open terrain, reflecting a breakdown in mechanised capability rather than a change in tactics.
The final attempt to revive the Dobropillia offensive involved four armoured columns, comprising at least twenty four vehicles. The formation was detected early by Ukrainian forces and destroyed using drone strikes. Estimates indicate that nearly 21,000 Russian soldiers were killed or wounded during four months of fighting in the area, a level of loss that sealed Akhmedov’s removal from command.
This episode followed earlier failures linked to Akhmedov. In 2023, he played a central role in the offensive near Vuhledar, where Russian armoured units advanced into prepared Ukrainian positions on high ground. Poor reconnaissance and coordination led vehicles into concentrated artillery and anti tank fire. Analysts estimate that the Russian 155th Naval Infantry Brigade lost around 2,400 personnel during that campaign, representing roughly eighty percent of its pre war strength and leaving it combat ineffective.
An even earlier setback occurred during the October and November 2022 assault on Pavlivka. That operation aimed to support a wider encirclement near Vuhledar but stalled quickly under Ukrainian artillery fire. Additional Russian units were committed in fragmented waves without securing flanks or supply routes. Within days, more than 400 soldiers from the same brigade were lost. The backlash was significant, with Russian soldiers publicly accusing Akhmedov of incompetence, an unusual step within the Russian military system.
Despite this history, inflated success reports and suppressed casualty figures allowed Akhmedov to retain senior roles and continue advancing. According to analysts, the scale of the Dobropillia losses made further concealment impossible, as an entire armoured grouping assembled over months was destroyed across a front of less than ten kilometres without achieving meaningful results.
