Russia replaces combat commander in Ukraine, confirms ATACMS damage

Informed sources say Russia has replaced the commander of a combat group in Ukraine, while the Russian Defense Ministry confirmed damage caused by a Ukrainian attack using ATACMS missiles provided by the US.

Alexander Sanchik was appointed acting commander of the southern task force.

UKRAINSKA PRAVDA SCREENSHOT

RBC newspaper on November 26 quoted anonymous sources as saying that the Russian army had just replaced the commander of one of its six combat groups in eastern Ukraine.

Accordingly, Lieutenant General Alexander Sanchik was appointed as acting commander of the southern task force. Mr. Sanchik succeeds Colonel General Gennady Anashkin, who is part of a "planned rotation".

The Moscow Times reported that military bloggers claimed last weekend that Anashkin had been dismissed after misleading his superiors about areas he claimed to have controlled near the Ukrainian town of Siversk. Some bloggers said the alleged misinformation led to “unnecessary losses” on the front line.

Russia's southern task force has been actively operating near the towns of Kurakhove, Chasiv Yar and Siversk in the Donetsk region over the past few weeks.

Mr. Sanchik served as deputy commander of Russia's Eastern Military District in 2023 and commanded the district's 35th Combined Arms Corps in 2020.

Russia has not officially commented on the above rotation.

In another development, the Russian military announced on November 26 that it would respond to Ukraine’s latest airstrike on Russian territory. In that attack, Ukraine used ATACMS missiles provided by the US, according to AFP.

The Russian Defense Ministry said the Ukrainian side carried out new attacks on November 23 and 25, using the above long-range missiles. "Retaliatory actions are being prepared," the agency wrote on Telegram, without giving details.

In a rare admission, Russia said the air strikes damaged military equipment and injured some soldiers on the ground.

The Russian Defense Ministry said the attack on Kursk-Vostochny Air Base injured two soldiers, while the attack on an air defense battery damaged a radar system and also caused "casualties."

The ministry said three of the five missiles launched in the first attack were shot down, while seven of the eight missiles used in the second attack were destroyed.

Previously, on November 25, the Ukrainska Pravda newspaper cited information from open-source intelligence analysts saying that Ukraine had for the first time launched an ATACMS missile, along with a cluster warhead, at the Kursk-Vostochny military airport (also known as Khalino airbase) in Russia's Kursk province.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nga-thay-mot-chi-huy-tac-chien-tai-ukraine-xac-nhan-thiet-hai-do-atacms-185241126220608416.htm