Russia changes commander of the Russian military grouping “South”

Lieutenant General Alexander Sancik has been appointed acting commander of the Russian military grouping “South”, which is involved in the war against Ukraine.

This was reported by the Russian media, citing sources close to the Russian Defense Ministry.

On November 23 Z-bloggers reported the dismissal of the commander of the “South” group, Colonel-General Gennady Anashkin. According to them, this happened because of the situation in the northern direction, namely “disinformation and misleading the command”. At the same time, RBC’s source in the Russian Defense Ministry stated that this decision was made as part of a planned rotation.

Since 2020, Alexander Sanchik has served as the commander of the 35th Combined Arms Army of the Eastern Military District of the Russian Federation, and since 2023 – as the first deputy commander of the Eastern Military District. In May 2024, the general attended a meeting with Putin as acting commander of the Eastern Military District.


According to the latest reports of the Russian Ministry of Defense, the occupants of the “Southern” group of troops are conducting hostilities against Ukraine in Donetsk region, in particular, in the areas of Chasovyi Yar, Siversk, Andriivka, and Kurakhove.