A Russian military commander, known as a “meatgrinder,” has disappeared from public view after being removed from his position by the Kremlin due to battlefield failures and significant troop casualties. Sukhrab Akhmedov, a 51-year-old career officer, fell out of favor with Russian troops for ordering brutal assaults that yielded minimal results. He is among several former senior officers accused of sending troops on futile missions that resulted in high casualties on the frontlines, earning the nickname ‘the meatgrinder.’
Reports suggest that Akhmedov, who led operations in Ukraine and Russia, may have been forced into early retirement following his dismissal after four years in command. His failed strategies in the battlefields of Sumy and Donetsk led to a decline in morale among the troops. Despite a successful advance in Donetsk’s Dobropillia region in August last year, Russian forces faced setbacks against Ukrainian special forces, resulting in the loss of territory after intense fighting.
Allegedly, Akhmedov’s dismissal was linked to unsuccessful mechanized assaults in Dobropilla in December 2025, which inflicted heavy casualties on Russian troops. He was responsible for overseeing multiple naval infantry brigades, including the 55th and 155th brigades of the Pacific Fleet and the 810th Brigade of the Black Sea Fleet, all of which suffered significant losses under his command.
Complaints about Akhmedov’s leadership date back to 2023 when Ukrainian forces launched a successful strike against Russian positions in Luhansk, resulting in casualties and the need for reinforcements. Following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in March 2022, his disregard for troop losses during missions near Kyiv led to repeated failures as Russian forces struggled against Ukrainian defenses. Despite his rise in the Russian military since the mid-1990s, Akhmedov lacked combat experience in Ukraine or Syria before his involvement in the conflict.
It is rumored that Akhmedov’s disregard for casualties had prompted discontent among his troops, with some even writing letters to senior commanders expressing their concerns.
