Aleksandr Pavlovich Lapin (Russian: Александр Павлович Лапин; born 1 January 1964) is a Russian army officer and commander of the Leningrad Military District from 16 May 2024. He was promoted to the rank of colonel general in 2019.
Aleksandr Lapin | |
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 Lapin in 2018 | |
| Native name | Александр Павлович Лапин |
| Birth name | Aleksandr Pavlovich Lapin |
| Born | 1 January 1964[1] Kazan, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union |
| Allegiance |  Soviet Union Russia |
| Service |  Russian Ground Forces |
| Years of service | 1982–present |
| Rank | Colonel general |
| Commands | Leningrad Military District (16 May 2024-) Central Military District (22 November 2017 to 29 October 2022) Eastern Military District (April 2017 to 22 November 2017; acting) |
| Awards |  (2022)[2] |
He was the commander of the Army Group "Center" of the Russian Army Forces in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[3] On 10 January 2023, he was appointed Chief of Staff of the Russian Ground Forces.[4] As of May 2024[update], he started to command the Leningrad Military District.[citation needed]
Biography
editEarly life and career
editLapin was born on 1 January 1964. After graduating from high school, he studied at the Kazan Chemical–Technological Institute from 1981 to 1982. From 1982 to 1984 he served in the ranks of the Soviet Army in the Soviet Air Defense Forces. After that, he entered the Kazan Higher Tank Command School named after the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Tatar Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, from which he graduated in 1988. After graduation, he served as commander of a tank platoon and tank company in the Leningrad Military District and in the Coastal Forces of the Northern Fleet.
In 1997, he graduated from the Malinovsky Military Armored Forces Academy. After graduation, he served in the 58th Combined Arms Army as the commander of a separate tank battalion. Since 1999, Lapin was the chief of staff, commander of the 429th Motor Rifle Regiment of the 19th Motor Rifle Division. From 2001 to 2003, he became the Chief of Staff of the 20th Guards Motorized Rifle Carpathian-Berlin Division.
General Staff (2003-2020)
editFrom 2003 to 2006, Lapin became the commander of the 205th Motorized Rifle Cossack Brigade and promoted to major general. From 2006 to 2007, he was the commander of the 20th Guards Motor Rifle Division.
In 2009, he graduated from the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces. After graduating from the academy, he was deputy commander of the 58th Army.
From April 2012 to July 2014, Lapin commanded the 20th Guards Combined Arms Army.
Deputy Commander, Eastern (2014-2017)
editIn 2014, he was awarded the military rank of Lieutenant General. From 2014 to 2017, he was the Chief of Staff - First Deputy Commander of the Eastern Military District.
In 2017, Lapin became the chief of staff of the grouping of the Russian troops and forces in Syria.[5] He was promoted to colonel general in 2019.[5] From September to November 2017, Lapin was the Head of the Combined Arms Academy of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.[citation needed]
Commander, Central (2017-2019)
edit
Lapin was the commander of the Central Military District from 22 November 2017.[6][7]
Commander, Syria
editFrom October 2018 to January 2019, he was the commander of the grouping of the Russian troops and forces in Syria.[citation needed]
Highest Staff (2020-present)
editIn 2020, he graduated from the faculty of retraining and advanced training of the highest command personnel of the Military Academy of the General Staff.[8]
Invasion of Ukraine
editIn June 2022 it was revealed that he was the commander of the Army Group "Center" of the Russian Army Forces in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[3][9] In late March, he visited the front line and awarded a medal to his son, the commander fighting in Sumy and Chernihiv, just before the Russian army withdrew.[10]
An investigation by NPR alleged that troops under Lapin's command had killed civilians in Nova Basan and Bobrovytsia during the first months of the invasion and suggested that Lapin could be prosecuted for war crimes under the doctrine of command responsibility if the killings were sufficiently widespread.[11]
Following the October 2022 recapture of Lyman by Ukrainian forces, Lapin was heavily criticized by the head of the Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov. Kadyrov blamed Lapin for the Russian retreat, saying he would demote Lapin to the rank of private, strip him of his medals, and send him to the front line barefoot with a light machine gun to "wipe away his shame with blood". The Kremlin told Kadyrov to "set aside emotions" during the "special military operation".[12]
On October 29 Lapin was dismissed as commander from the Central Military District,[13] replaced by Alexander Linkov.[14]
Chief of Staff of the Russian Ground Forces
editOn 10 January 2023 Russian media reported that Lapin had been assigned to the post of chief of staff of the Russian Ground Forces.[15]
In the months leading up to the August 2024 Ukrainian incursion into Kursk, Lapin dismantled a border guard council that had been responsible for its protection.[16]
Sanctions
editOn 15 March 2022, against the background of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Lapin was placed on the UK sanctions list as being responsible for the deployment of Russian troops involved in the attack on Ukraine.[17][18]
On 5 May, he is listed on Canada's sanctions list for "complicity in President Putin's choice to invade a peaceful and sovereign country." On October 19, 2022, he fell under the sanctions of Ukraine as "involved in the aggression against Ukraine.".[19]
For similar reasons, he is on the sanctions lists of Australia and New Zealand.[18]
Family
editHe is married and has a son, identified by BBC Russia as Lt. Colonel Denis Aleksandrovich Lapin, commanding officer of the 1st Guards Tank Regiment v/ch 58198.[20]
Awards
edit- Hero of the Russian Federation
- Order of St. George IV degree (2017)[21][22]
- Order "For Merit to the Fatherland"
- Order of Alexander Nevsky
- Order of Courage
- Order of Military Merit
- Medal of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland"
- Medal "For military distinction"
- Medal "To the participant of the military operation in Syria" ;
- Medal "For action in Palmyra"
- Combat Commonwealth Medal (Syria) .
References
edit- ^ Government of Canada, Public Works and Government Services Canada (2022-05-25). "Canada Gazette, Part 2, Volume 156, Number 11: Regulations Amending the Special Economic Measures (Russia) Regulations". gazette.gc.ca. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
- ^ "Указ о присвоении звания Героя России генерал-майору Эседулле Абачеву и генерал-полковнику Александру Лапину". 4 July 2022.
- ^ a b Cherkasov, Alexander (26 June 2022). "Люди, стрелявшие в наших отцов". Novaya Gazeta.
- ^ "Генерал Лапин возглавил главный штаб Сухопутных войск". РБК (in Russian). 10 January 2023. Retrieved 2023-01-10.
- ^ a b news.mail.ru Archived 2019-02-23 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ "Министерство обороны Российской Федерации : Подробно". special.mil.ru. Archived from the original on 2022-01-26. Retrieved 2021-05-22.
- ^ "Leadership". Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation. Archived from the original on 9 September 2021.
- ^ Академия Генштаба напутствовала выпускников курсов высшего комсостава российской армии / mil.ru
- ^ "Генерал-полковник из Казани – новый Герой России: 11 фактов об Александре Лапине". БИЗНЕС Online (in Russian). 9 July 2022. Archived from the original on 1 October 2022.
- ^ ""Залезь, генерал, со мной в окоп. И сына своего сюда посади"". BBC News Русская Служба. Archived from the original on 16 November 2022.
- ^ Mak, Tim (10 December 2022). "There have been 50,000 alleged war crimes in Ukraine. We worked to solve one". NPR.
- ^ "Kremlin advises Kadyrov to "set aside emotions" when discussing "special operation"". 3 October 2022.
- ^ "Commander of Russias Central Military District dismissed". 29 October 2022.
- ^ "Top Russian general and 'hero' removed from command". NZ Herald. 6 November 2022. Archived from the original on 10 November 2022.
- ^ "Institute for the Study of War".
- ^ https://www.wsj.com/world/russia/russia-general-alexander-lapin-kursk-9a624abd.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ "UK SANCTIONS LIST PUBLICATION". GOV.UK.
- ^ a b "Лапин Александр Павлович, ФКУ "ОСК Центрального военного округа", командующий". Rupep (in Russian). Retrieved 2023-03-25.
- ^ Global Affairs Canada (2022-02-04). "Sanctions – Russian invasion of Ukraine". GAC. Retrieved 2023-03-25.
- ^ Barabanov, Ilya (4 May 2022). "Залезь, генерал, со мной в окоп. И сына своего сюда посади". BBC.
- ^ "Встреча с военнослужащими, участвовавшими в антитеррористической операции в Сирии". Kremlin.ru. 2017-12-28. Archived from the original on 2017-12-28. Retrieved 2017-12-28.
- ^ "Путин вручает в Кремле госнаграды военнослужащим, которые служили в Сирии". РИА Новости. 2017-12-28. Archived from the original on 2017-12-28. Retrieved 2017-12-28.