The commander of Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk forces has been replaced following recent Russian advances in the region, a military official has announced.
General Oleksandr Tarnavskiy will assume the role of head of the operational and tactical group, replacing General Oleksandr Lutsenko, CNN reports.
The move comes after Lutsenko faced severe criticism for failing to halt the recent Russian advances in the key city of Pokrovsk.
Russian forces have been reported to be just three kilometers from the city, according to Ukraine’s DeepState mapping service.
Pokrovsk has been the site of some of the fiercest battles on the eastern front for months.
Located about 17 kilometers from the Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk regions of Ukraine, it is a strategic target for Moscow.
