ISW: Russian military commanders dismissed for failing to undo Ukraine’s 2023 gains
Russian MoD reportedly fired the commander of the 18th Army, Lieutenant Gen. Arkady Marzoev and the commander of the 70th Regiment, for their failure to retake the territories around Kherson's Krynky and Zaporizhzhia's Robotyne that Ukraine reclaimed during the 2023 counteroffensive.
The Russian Ministry of Defense has reportedly dismissed the commanders of a combined arms army and a motorized rifle regiment active in southern Ukraine, “likely for failing to recapture areas lost during the Ukrainian summer-fall 2023 counteroffensive.” This is according to the US-based think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
Russian sources reported on 13 and 14 April that the Russian military command dismissed Lieutenant General Arkady Marzoev, commander of the 18th Combined Arms Army (Southern Military District) fighting near Krynky in Kherson Oblast, along with the commander of the 70th Motorized Rifle Regiment (42nd Motorized Rifle Division, 58th Combined Arms Army, Southern Military District) engaged near Robotyne in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
Since September 2023, elements of the 70th Motorized Rifle Regiment have conducted periodic counterattacks around Robotyne to recapture territory, resulting in significant degradation of their forces.
Elements of the 18th CAA and the 70th Motorized Rifle Regiment have failed to reclaim all territories captured by Ukrainian forces in Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts during the summer-fall 2023 counteroffensive. If Russian sources are correct, the Russian MoD may be replacing these commanders with the hope that new leadership can successfully seize more territory around Robotyne and Krynky. This could enable the Russian MoD to credibly claim a reversal of the Ukrainian counteroffensive’s effects, as per ISW.
Read also:
- Frontline report: Russian general set up all his troops for a HIMARS strike
- Frontline report: Ukraine’s maneuver defense tactics stall Russian offensive in Robotyne
- UK intel: Russia fails to dislodge Ukrainian defenders on Dnipro’s left bank
- Frontline report: Four Ukrainian soldiers repel outnumbered Russian attack near Robotyne
- UK intel: Russia’s eastern assaults bog down as Ukraine stymies encirclements, maintains bridgehead in south
You could close this page. Or you could join our community and help us produce more materials like this.
We keep our reporting open and accessible to everyone because we believe in the power of free information. This is why our small, cost-effective team depends on the support of readers like you to bring deliver timely news, quality analysis, and on-the-ground reports about Russia's war against Ukraine and Ukraine's struggle to build a democratic society.
A little bit goes a long way: for as little as the cost of one cup of coffee a month, you can help build bridges between Ukraine and the rest of the world, plus become a co-creator and vote for topics we should cover next. Become a patron or see other ways to support.
