MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia has removed a senior general in Ukraine for giving misleading reports about the progress of the war as Defence Minister Andrei Belousov tries to clear out poor commanders, pro-Russian war bloggers and Russian media said.
Ahead of winter, Russian forces advanced at the fastest rate in Ukraine since the start of the 2022 invasion, though progress was much slower in some areas - particularly around Siversk in the eastern region of Donetsk.
Russian media cited unidentified sources as saying that Colonel General Gennady Anashkin, the commander of the Southern Grouping, had been removed from his command, though there was no official confirmation.
Russian war bloggers have long complained about the command of the operation around Siversk where they said poorly supported Russian units were thrown into deadly battles for little apparent tactical gain.
"Only the lazy did not write about the problems there: overall, it took the system about two months to react properly," Rybar, a respected pro-Russian blogger said on Telegram.
"Anashkin, was removed from office for false reports in the Seversk direction," Rybar said, using the Russian version of the place name. One war correspondent for Russian state television also said Anashkin had been removed from his command.
The Russian Defence Ministry did not respond to a request for comment. Reuters, which was unable to verify the reports, could not reach Anashkin for comment due to the security situation inside Russia.
If Russia could take control of the Siversk area, it could then push towards Kramatorsk - a major city in the region.
RBC cited an unidentified Defence Ministry source as saying that Anashkin had been moved as part of a "planned rotation" of personnel.
In his reports on the change of command, prominent pro-Russian war blogger Yuri Podolyaka quoted Belousov as saying that "you can make mistakes but you cannot lie".
(Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge; Editing by Frances Kerry)
