Ukraine's general who lost Siversk just said what few commanders ever admit

The loss of Siversk triggered a high-profile personnel decision on one of the hottest sectors of the front. After the city in northern Donetsk Oblast came under Russian control, the commander of the 11th Army Corps was dismissed. He confirmed his removal and publicly addressed his personnel.

Russian forces seized Siversk by taking advantage of difficult weather conditions — dense fog observed in Donetsk Oblast in November and December 2025.

The General Staff reported that Russian troops advanced due to significant numerical superiority and continuous pressure from small assault groups operating under adverse weather conditions.

Who is responsible for failure when city falls under pressure?

In his address, Sirchenko emphasized the scale of the campaign and his constant presence at the front alongside his subordinates.

“Almost 500 days in position. Not in the rear. Not on paper. At the front — together. With you. On one of the most intense sectors of this war. I was not an ideal commander. In war, there are no perfect commanders,” Sirchenko said.

Moment when command acknowledges mistakes

In his statement, he also admitted his own miscalculations, saying, “There were times I applied pressure. I made mistakes. I stayed silent when I should have spoken.”

“But one thing I know for sure: I never stood behind you,” he added.

Russian forces captured Siversk, taking advantage of dense fog conditions in Donetsk Oblast in November and December 2025.

Siversk, a city with a pre-invasion population of fewer than 11,000 people, was a center of Russian offensive operations since mid-2022.

According to the Institute for the Study of War, Russian forces spent 41 months advancing only 12 kilometers from Lysychansk to the western boundary of Siversk.

Russia has deployed approximately 80,000 troops to the Siversk axis, including elite airborne forces and Chechen “Akhmat” units, viewing the city as a stepping stone toward a broader offensive on Kramatorsk, the largest Ukrainian-controlled city in Donbas.