Putin dismisses commander of Russian 20th army amid complaints and military setbacks
The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, has dismissed the commander of Russia's 20th Army, Surkhab Akhmedov, report Russian media outlets RT and RIA-Novosti on Friday, May 24, citing Vladimir Rogov, head of the Russian Public Chamber's Commission on Sovereignty, Patriotic Projects, and Veteran Support
According to Russian sources, the reason for Akhmedov's dismissal may have been numerous complaints about him.
In November 2022, troops from the 155th Brigade of the Pacific Fleet's Marine Infantry claimed they had lost "around 300 soldiers, either killed, wounded, or missing" in just a few days of fighting.
This reportedly occurred during a "disoriented offensive" on the village of Pavlivka near Vuhledar in the Donetsk region. Russian forces blamed generals Rustam Muradov and Surkhab Akhmedov for the incident.
In June 2023, a Ukrainian strike against Russian forces near Kreminna in the Luhansk region took place. During that time, the Russian forces had allegedly lined up in formation, awaiting a motivational speech from Akhmedov before the offensive.
Military units and formations of the 20th Guards Army of Russia are stationed in the Voronezh, Kursk, Belgorod, Smolensk, and Bryansk regions.