Donetsk Operational and Tactical Group commander dismissed and his replacement already prepared – FT

The Financial Times has written that the commander of the Donetsk Joint Task Force, Oleksandr Lutsenko, was dismissed after the rapid advance of the Russians towards Pokrovsk. Brigadier General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi was appointed to his position.

Source: Ukrainska Pravda sources in the Ukrainian defence forces; Financial Times citing sources

Details: An unnamed Ukrainian official told the newspaper that Lutsenko was offered another position in the Army after his dismissal.

The source said that Ukrainian troops under Lutsenko's command failed to stop a large-scale Russian offensive.

Ukrainska Pravda obtained information that Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, came personally to replace the commander. 

For reference: General Tarnavskyi headed the newly formed Kherson Operational and Strategic Group of Forces in October 2022 and led the liberation of the city and oblast. The name Tavriia was given to the group in December. The Tavriia group launched a counteroffensive in Zaporizhzhia Oblast in 2023.

Background: 

• On 11 December, Oleksandr Syrskyi visited the Pokrovsk front and examined the combat situation before issuing suitable instructions to improve the stability of the defence and destroy the Russian forces more effectively. He noted that fierce fighting was going on there, with the Russians outnumbering the Ukrainians.
• On 12 December, Syrskyi said that the military command is considering all possible options for the Russian occupiers' further actions on the Pokrovsk front, which remains one of the hottest areas.
• Mykola Koval, head of the press service for the 14th Chervona Kalyna Brigade of the National Guard, said that the Russians had attacked Pokrovsk "head-on" and began to flank the city.

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