Russian Defense Minister, Sergey Shoigu, received Lieutenant General Rustam Muradov, commander of the Vostok grouping of Russian troops taking part in hostilities in Ukraine. “At the command post, the commander of the Vostok group, Lieutenant General Rustam Muradov, reported to the head of the Russian military department about the current situation and the progress in fulfilling the assigned combat missions to defeat enemy forces in the area of responsibility,” the Defense Ministry said.
During the inspection, Shoigu ordered the Vostok group to cover the Donbas from “shelling from Ukraine." Other details of the meeting were not given at the ministry. The group "Vostok" is participating in the hostilities in the Donetsk direction. Previously, it was not disclosed who exactly leads it. On July 4, Russian President Vladimir Putin called on the East and West groups to continue fulfilling tasks according to previously approved plans.
Rustam Muradov has been the Deputy Commander of the Southern Military District since 2018 and was a military adviser in Syria. He was the commander-in-chief of the Russian peacekeeping forces in Nagorno-Karabakh. He received the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.
In March, Caucasus Watch reported that parts of the Russian military presence in Karabakh are being withdrawn. According to several Azerbaijani social media sites, Russia has relocated some of its troops from Karabakh to Ukraine (or to its military base in Armenia so that the 102nd Russian Military Unit can be sent to Ukraine). In Karabakh, the Russian forces rotate once every six months (November-May). The troops' departure was not a typical rotating procedure.
