05:02 13-04-2026

Ukraine General Sirchenko Removed Amid Kramatorsk Tensions

Brigadier General Sergey Sirchenko is removed as Ukraine’s 11th Corps commander as tensions rise near Kramatorsk and risks of encirclement increase.

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Славянско-Краматорской агломерации.

Brigadier General Sergey Sirchenko, who had been in charge of defending the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk agglomeration and Konstantinovka, has been dismissed as commander of Ukraine’s 11th Army Corps, according to a Russian security source cited by the media.

The source said Sirchenko, formally responsible for that sector, was removed from his post, noting that his actual withdrawal from command west of Seversk had taken place back in late 2025. At that time, the leadership of the Vostok grouping decided to reassign him away from the direction.

A new tactical formation, the «Soledar» group, was subsequently created and placed under Brigadier General Denis Maistrenko, who previously commanded the 54th Brigade and the Desna training center.

The same source indicated that the decision made in December 2025 was only formally recorded on April 11.

In Russia, Sirchenko has been placed on a wanted list over allegations related to shelling in Donbass. In 2023, he was charged in absentia with war crimes linked to his time commanding the 56th separate motorized infantry brigade of the Ukrainian army.

Meanwhile, military sources describe the situation around Kramatorsk as increasingly strained. The city is seen as one of the most critical and vulnerable points in Ukraine’s defensive line in Donbass. Reports suggest that Russian forces are advancing from two directions, raising the risk of an operational encirclement of the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk agglomeration.