Early life and career Lapin was born on 1 January 1964. After graduating from high school, he studied at the
Kazan Chemical–Technological Institute from 1981 to 1982. From 1982 to 1984 he served in the ranks of the
Soviet Army in the
Soviet Air Defense Forces. After that, he entered the
Kazan Higher Tank Command School named after the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the
Tatar Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, from which he graduated in 1988. After graduation, he served as commander of a tank platoon and tank company in the
Leningrad Military District and in the Coastal Forces of the
Northern Fleet. In 1997, he graduated from the
Malinovsky Military Armored Forces Academy. After graduation, he served in the
58th Combined Arms Army as the commander of a separate tank battalion. Since 1999, Lapin was the chief of staff, commander of the 429th Motor Rifle Regiment of the
19th Motor Rifle Division. From 2001 to 2003, he became the Chief of Staff of the 20th Guards Motorized Rifle Carpathian-Berlin Division.
General Staff (2003-2020) From 2003 to 2006, Lapin became the commander of the 205th Motorized Rifle Cossack Brigade and promoted to major general. From 2006 to 2007, he was the commander of the
20th Guards Motor Rifle Division. In 2009, he graduated from the
Military Academy of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces. After graduating from the academy, he was deputy commander of the 58th Army. From April 2012 to July 2014, Lapin commanded the
20th Guards Combined Arms Army.
Deputy Commander, Eastern (2014-2017) In 2014, he was awarded the military rank of Lieutenant General. From 2014 to 2017, he was the Chief of Staff - First Deputy Commander of the
Eastern Military District. In 2017, Lapin became the chief of staff of the grouping of the Russian troops and forces in
Syria. He was promoted to colonel general in 2019. From September to November 2017, Lapin was the Head of the
Combined Arms Academy of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.
Commander, Central (2017-2019) Lapin was the commander of the
Central Military District from 22 November 2017.
Commander, Syria From October 2018 to January 2019, he was the commander of the grouping of the Russian troops and forces in
Syria.
Highest Staff (2020-present) In 2020, he graduated from the faculty of retraining and advanced training of the highest command personnel of the Military Academy of the General Staff.
Invasion of Ukraine , April 2022 In June 2022 it was revealed that he was the commander of the Army Group "Center" of the Russian Army Forces in the
Russian invasion of Ukraine. In late March, he visited the front line and awarded a medal to his son, the commander fighting in
Sumy and
Chernihiv, just before the Russian army withdrew. An investigation by
NPR alleged that troops under Lapin's command had killed civilians in
Nova Basan and
Bobrovytsia during the first months of the invasion and suggested that Lapin could be prosecuted for war crimes under the doctrine of
command responsibility if the killings were sufficiently widespread. Following the October 2022
recapture of
Lyman by Ukrainian forces, Lapin was heavily criticized by the head of the
Chechen Republic,
Ramzan Kadyrov. Kadyrov blamed Lapin for the Russian retreat, saying he would demote Lapin to the rank of private, strip him of his medals, and send him to the front line barefoot with a light machine gun to "wipe away his shame with blood". The Kremlin told Kadyrov to "set aside emotions" during the "
special military operation". On 29 October, Lapin was dismissed as commander from the Central Military District, replaced by Alexander Linkov.
Chief of Staff of the Russian Ground Forces On 10 January 2023 Russian media reported that Lapin had been assigned to the post of
chief of staff of the
Russian Ground Forces. In March 2024, he was appointed commander of the troops of the newly created
Leningrad Military District and the "North" group of forces in Ukraine. In the months leading up to the August 2024
Ukrainian incursion into Kursk, Lapin dismantled a border guard council that had been responsible for its protection. In August 2025, due to "deteriorating health" and "his own will", he was removed from his post as commander of the "North" group of forces and replaced by Colonel General
Yevgeny Nikiforov.
RBK Group has reported that Lapin has been retired from military service and replaced by Colonel General
Yevgeny Nikiforov as commander of the
Leningrad Military District. == Awards ==