General Oleksandr Lutsenko has come in for severe criticism recently, amid reports Russian forces are less than two miles from the strategic city.

Russian troops are closing in on Pokrovsk from the east and south. After the capture of Shevchenko village just south of the city, Russian forces are less than 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) from this key logistics hub sitting on the western edge of Donetsk Oblast.

Ukraine fired its general overseeing fighting in the country’s eastern region in the face of Russia’s fastest advances since the war began. Oleksandr Lutsenko was removed from his position as commander of the Donetsk operational and tactical group and sent to another post in the army’s ground forces,

General Oleksandr Lutsenko has been dismissed from the command of the "Donetsk" group, reports Ukrainska Pravda. According to the portal, Lutsenko's dismissal is related to the rapid advances of Russian forces toward the strategically important city of Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine.