The nomination of Colonel-General Alexander Lapin, who commanded the Central and Leningrad Military Districts, is being considered for the position of Chairman of the Defense Committee in the new session of the State Duma, Kommersant newspaper wrote, citing sources in the lower house of parliament and the United Russia party.
According to Kommersant’s interlocutors, Lapin will run for membership in the State Duma on the United Russia list from Tatarstan in the September elections. The decision, which will be headed by the Defense Committee, is not yet final.
Now the Defense Committee is headed by Andrei Kartapolov, who was elected to the State Duma in 2021 from Moscow. Kommersant’s interlocutors say he probably will not be re-elected to the new Duma. His card is not on the United Russia primaries website, despite the May 14 deadline for applications.
Alexander Lapin led the group of “Center” forces that arrived after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 to the outskirts of Kiev. After the withdrawal of Russian forces from the Ukrainian capital, this group was transferred to the east of the country. Lapin then ordered the operation to seize Liman, which was later liberated by Ukrainian armed forces. After Russian forces withdrew from Liman, Chechnya’s president, Ramzan Kadyrov, described Lapin as “a mid-level person, covered up by commanders at the top of the General Staff.” Lapine was quickly fired.
In January 2023, Lapin became Chief of the General Staff of the Ground Forces, and in March 2024 he headed the recreated Leningrad Military District. In the same period, the “Northern” group was formed, which was responsible for the Kharkov and Kursk directions. In August 2024, Ukrainian armed forces invaded the Kursk region. The Wall Street Journal described Lapin as responsible for the gaps in Russia’s defense. In August 2025, Lappin was dismissed.