The commander of the Russian military group “South”, Gen. Gennady Anashkin, was dismissed due to false reports about the occupation of several towns in eastern Ukraine, independent Russian portals reported on Saturday, citing Russian military bloggers.
According to bloggers Rybar, Kiril Fedorov and others, Anashkin's dismissal is said to be the result of a scandal surrounding Russian commanders who falsely reported the occupation of the villages of Serebrianka, Hryhorivka, Biłohorivka and Verkhnyokamyanske in the Donetsk Oblast.
On Thursday, the independent Russian website Vazhnye Istorii reported that the commander and chief of staff of the 3rd Luhansk-Severodonetsk Army and the commanders of the 6th, 7th and 123rd brigades of the Russian armed forces are responsible for the false information. Everyone was arrested.
These commanders informed Anashkin about the capture of the villages, who, in turn, misled his superiors.
“The extent of the fraud has been revealed”
“The higher command came and wished to visit the 'liberated' Biłohorivka, which theoretically was already supposed to be in the deep rear, because Hryhorivka and Serebrianka were supposedly taken. Then the extent of the fraud came to light, which penetrated not only the media, but also the highest headquarters.” – wrote military blogger Rybar.
Rybar additionally assessed that despite unofficial reports about false reports, the military system responded only after two months. “From the point of view of the inertia and immobility of the war machine, this is indeed a fantastic achievement,” he wrote.
According to the Veteran's Notes channel on Telegram, it is a systemic problem and concerns more than one section of the front in the war zone.
Main photo source: kremlin.ru