On April 26, the Ministry of Defense of Russia reported that a new commander was appointed to the Russian peacekeeping forces in Nagorno-Karabakh. According to the information, on April 25, the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces of the Russian Armed Forces, Colonel-General Alexander Lentsov, was appointed the commander of the Russian peacekeeping contingent in the region. Before that, the commander of the peacekeeping contingent was Major General Andrey Volkov.

Alexander Lentsov worked as a platoon commander of the 103rd Airborne Division. He came to Afghanistan in 1979. From 1980-1982, he was the airborne training instructor and the intelligence brigade commander. During the two years, he led the reconnaissance group, he did not lose a single fighter and completed many important tasks. In 1982, he was appointed the intelligence commander of the 234th parachute regiment, and in 1982-1983, the chief of staff of the 234th parachute battalion. From 1983-1986, he was the battalion commander of the 234th Airborne Regiment. Lentsov took part in Afghanistan, First Chechen, Second Chechen, Bosnia, South Ossetia, Donbas, and Syria wars. From 2013 to 2020, he served as deputy commander-in-chief of Russia's ground forces. He received the rank of general in 2014. During 2009-2013, he worked as the deputy commander of the Russian Air Force. In 2015, he took part in Russia's military operations in eastern Ukraine. Since January 22, 2020, he has been an adviser to the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation.

Notably, on November 10, 2020, the leaders of Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Russia signed a tripartite statement on the cessation of hostilities between Azerbaijan and Armenia. By the joint statement of the heads of state, along the contact line in Nagorno-Karabakh and the Lachin corridor, Russia's armed peacekeeping contingent of 1,960 military personnel, 90 armored personnel carriers, 380 vehicles, and special equipment was deployed.