Moscow. June 25. INTERFAX-AVN - The southern grouping of Russian troops in Ukraine is led by the commander-in-chief of the Aerospace Forces (VKS) Sergey Surovikin, the Center grouping is led by the commander of the troops of the Central Military District (CVO) Alexander Lapin, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.
"Formations and military units of the Center group of forces under the command of Colonel-General Lapin, having broken through the well-prepared defense of the Ukrainian troops, defeated the opposing enemy, and, developing an offensive, blocked the city of Lisichansk from the south. Within five days, they liberated 11 settlements, of which the largest are Loskutovka, Mirnaya Dolina, Ustinovka," said Igor Konashenkov, an official representative of the Russian Defense Ministry.
"At the same time, the southern grouping of troops under the command of Army General Surovikin completed the defeat of the encircled AFU group in the "Gorsky cauldron". Russian troops and units of the People's Militia of the LPR liberated the settlements of Gorskoye and Zolotoye," Konashenkov said.
Surovikin and Lapin are generals with Syrian combat experience.
On February 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree recognizing the independence of the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics. On February 24, Putin announced the start of a special military operation in Ukraine.
In response, many countries have imposed large-scale sanctions against Russia. A number of countries supply Ukraine with weapons and equipment.
On April 25, the head of the National Defense Control Center of the Russian Federation, Mikhail Mizintsev, said that the Russian army had taken control of the entire Kherson region, parts of the Kharkiv, Zaporozhye, Mykolaiv regions of Ukraine, a significant part of the territory of the DPR and LPR recognized by Russia.
