Why the Previous Dossier Required a Complete Overhaul

In the previous version, Arkady Marzoev was prematurely declared a 'disaster general,' and episodes were then selected to support this conclusion. Some of these were not confirmed by the cited sources: 'million-strong losses' near Debaltseve, the destruction of 75 percent of the 126th Brigade, orders to conceal casualties, and personal directives for boat assaults near Krynky.

A verifiable dossier must answer different questions: what positions Marzoev held, which troops were in his area of responsibility, what is known about the results of operations, and where facts end and statements by subordinates, military bloggers, or Ukrainian investigative bodies begin.

Career and Confirmed Appointments

Arkady Vasilyevich Marzoev was born on May 22, 1969, in Ashgabat. Public biographies list service in special forces units and motorized rifle units, brigade command, training at the Military Academy of the General Staff, and work in command positions in the Southern Military District. A complete service record is difficult to verify independently, as personnel orders from the Russian Ministry of Defense are not always published.

In November 2021, the Ossetian state TV channel Iryston reported Marzoev's appointment as commander of the 22nd Army Corps of the Black Sea Fleet's coastal troops in Crimea. In December 2022, he was promoted to Lieutenant General. In August 2023, the regional publication '15th Region' reported his appointment as commander of the newly formed 18th Combined Arms Army of the Southern Military District.

These appointments are important for attributing responsibility but do not automatically prove that the commander personally issued every tactical order. Such a conclusion requires documents, participant testimonies, or several independent sources describing the same chain of command.

Southern Offensive of 2022: What Can Be Linked to Marzoev

The 22nd Corps was one of the formations involved in the Russian offensive from Crimea into Kherson and Mykolaiv Oblasts. The Center for Journalistic Investigations, citing SBU materials, lists the 126th Coastal Defense Brigade, 127th Reconnaissance Brigade, 810th and 61st Naval Infantry Brigades, 8th Artillery Regiment, and other units in Marzoev's area of responsibility.

A BBC Russian Service investigation into the commander of the 247th Air Assault Regiment, Dmitry Lisitsky, cited accounts from former subordinates. According to their version, before advancing on Kherson, officers were assured the route was reconnoitered, but units came under fire; then followed an unsuccessful attempt near the Mykolaiv airfield. Interviewees linked the decisions to Marzoev and spoke of 76 killed and approximately 140 wounded in two days.

This is significant testimony, but its status must be precisely stated: the figures and description of orders are based on participant accounts published by journalists, not on an open combat log. They do not confirm the broader claim of 'one and a half thousand killed in the first days,' which was disseminated by one Russian military blogger.

The 18th Army and Krynky

The 18th Combined Arms Army was formed in 2023 based on formations operating in the south. Its units were responsible for a section of the left bank of the Dnieper River in Kherson Oblast. After the creation of the Ukrainian bridgehead near Krynky in autumn 2023, units of the 70th Motorized Rifle Division, 144th Brigade, 810th Naval Infantry Brigade, and other formations subordinate or operationally attached to the 'Dnepr' group participated in the fighting.

ISW recorded prolonged positional battles and Russian attempts to dislodge Ukrainian forces from the bridgehead. However, open reports do not confirm that Marzoev personally ordered groups to be sent across the floodplains without boats and radios. An army commander is responsible for the work of his subordinate staff within his authority; personal attribution of a specific order requires separate proof.

On April 13–14, 2024, Russian sources reported Marzoev's dismissal from his post. ISW relayed these reports but specifically noted that it could not confirm them. Therefore, the correct phrasing is 'unconfirmed reports of his resignation emerged,' rather than 'the Ministry of Defense officially removed the general for failure.'

Two Ukrainian Suspicions — Not a Court Verdict

In October 2023, the SBU announced suspicions against Marzoev, 'Dnepr' group commander Oleg Makarevich, and 8th Artillery Regiment commander Dmitry Zharkikh. Ukrainian investigators link them to the artillery shelling of Kherson on May 3, 2023, which, according to the investigation, killed 24 civilians.

In 2024, Marzoev was served another suspicion — under an article of the Ukrainian criminal code concerning waging aggressive war. The investigation claims that he commanded units of the 22nd Corps in Kherson Oblast from the beginning of the full-scale invasion until the withdrawal of Russian troops from the right bank.

Both formulations must be accompanied by a legal disclaimer: these refer to the Ukrainian investigation's version and the procedural status of a suspect. There is no legally binding court verdict against Marzoev for these episodes in available sources.

Son's Death: A Fact Without Moral Construction

In October 2023, the Main Directorate of Intelligence of Ukraine (GUR) reported the death of Lieutenant Vasily Marzoev, the general's son, during a strike on a Russian position in the Zaporizhzhia direction. Hromadske relayed the GUR statement and indicated that Vasily commanded a platoon of the 108th Air Assault Regiment.

The original article called this death 'karma' and claimed that the father arranged an easy career for his son. There is no evidence of such an arrangement in the cited sources. Vasily's family relation and service are subjects for a biographical note, but not an argument about Arkady Marzoev's professional qualities.

Conclusion

The verifiable part of the dossier shows Marzoev's rapid career ascent: command of the 22nd Corps on the eve of the invasion, followed by leadership of the 18th Army in the Kherson direction. His area of responsibility is linked to the unsuccessful development of the offensive on Mykolaiv, heavy fighting near Krynky, and two suspicions announced by Ukraine.

However, the accusatory portrait becomes stronger when unconfirmed figures and fabricated motives are removed. Open data allows for the investigation of staff decisions, subordinate testimonies, and legal claims — without transforming assumptions into established orders or suspicions into verdicts.