Russian commanders killed in Putin’s war as Ukraine invasion ‘not going to plan’

Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine has so far claimed thousands of lives – including Russians.

The exact numbers of dead Russian troops is disputed; the US claims as many as 4,000 while a rare update from Moscow last week said 498 of their fighters had been killed in the first week of the war.

Either way it is clear there have been losses, including a number of senior military figures.

Russian military deaths have been “far in excess” of what Mr Putin and his generals expected, CIA Director William Burns said on Tuesday.

A push by Russian forces to take key cities could mean “an ugly next few weeks”, Mr Burns said, warning that the Kremlin’s strategy was likely to “grind down the Ukrainian military with no regard for civilian casualties”.

Here we look at some of the senior Russian figures who have reportedly been killed in the conflict so far.

Major General Andrei Sukhovetsky

Andrei Sukhovetsky, a high-ranking Russian general, was the first senior figure confirmed to have been killed during fighting in Ukraine, in what experts said would be a bitter blow for Mr Putin.

Sukhovetsky was the commanding general of the Russian 7th Airborne Division and a deputy commander of the 41st Combined Arms Army. A military source said he had been killed by a sniper.

His death, which was confirmed by a local officers’ organisation in the Krasnodar region in southern Russia, was seen as another sign Mr Putin’s war effort is not going to plan.

Sukhovetsky also took part in Russia’s military campaign in Syria.

Major General Vitaly Gerasimov

Ukraine’s defence ministry said Vitaly Gerasimov, first deputy commander of Russia’s 41st army, was killed on Monday.

He would be the second Russian major general killed since the invasion began but Moscow’s defence ministry has yet to confirm his death,

Gerasimov, 45, had fought with Russian forces in Syria and Chechnya and had taken part in the seizure of Crimea in 2014.

Major General Andrei Kolesnikov

Ukraine’s armed forces said on Friday that Andrei Kolesnikov had become the third Russian major general to be killed in Mr Putin’s war.

Kolesnikov served as the commander of the 29th Combined Arms Army of the Eastern Military District, having only been promoted in December 2021.

He had previously been a lieutenant colonel and chief of staff of the 4th Guards Tank Division, personnel of which were involved in Kosovo and in the second Chechen war.

Lieutenant Colonel Denis Glebov

Lieutenant Colonel Denis Glebov was killed near the city of Chuhuiv, according to Russian media.

He was serving as Deputy Commander of the 11th Separate Airborne Assault Brigade of the Russian Armed Forces.

His funeral was held on Sunday 6 March, Russian media reported, and he was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Colonel Konstantin Zizevsky

Konstantin Zizevsky, a commander of the 247th Guards Airborne Assault Regiment, was killed during fighting in the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.

News of his death was shared on Instagram by Russian politician Minenkov Mikhail Anatolievich, who said: “During a special military operation to protect the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics, my comrade, commander of the 247th Guards Airborne Assault Regiment, Guards Colonel Konstantin Zizevsky, died.

“The news of Konstantin’s death is a terrible blow.”

General Magomed Tushaev

Magomed Tushaev, said to be the right-hand man of Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov, is also reported to have been killed during fighting.

Tushaev was leading the 141st motorised regiment of the Chechen National Guard and was killed on Saturday at Hostomel airport near Kyiv, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported.

This was confirmed by a captured fighter from this unit, Interfax-Ukraine said.

​Vladimir Zhonga

Vladimir Zhoga, who led the rebel militant group of the Donetsk People’s Republic, Sparta Battalion, was killed during battle in the eastern Ukrainian town of Volnovakha on Saturday.

Denis Pushilin, who heads the breakaway Ukrainian territory of Donetsk, reportedly confirmed the kill on his Telegram channel.

“Today, the commander of the Sparta separate reconnaissance battalion, Guards Col. Vladimir Zhoga, died like a hero in Volnovakha,” he wrote.

Lieutenant Colonel Dmitry Safronov

Ukraine claims Lieutenant Colonel, Dmitry Safronov, who served as Commander of the 61st Separate Marine Brigade of the Russian Armed Forces, has also been killed.

Major General Oleg Mityaev

Major General Oleg Mityaev was allegedly killed by the Ukrainian national guard during an attempt to storm Mariupol.

Adviser to Ukraine’s interior ministry, Anton Gerashchenko, announced his death after president Zelensky claimed on Thursday that a fourth Russian general had been killed in the fighting.

General Mityaev was commander of Russia’s 150th motorised rifle division.

Lieutenant-General Andrei Mordvichev

Ukrainian officials have claimed that Lieutenant-general Andrei Mordvichev was killed when Ukrainian forces hit an airfield in Chornobayivka, near Kherson airport, on Saturday.

In a statement from the general staff of the armed forces of Ukraine said that General Mordvichev had died “as a result of the fire attack on the opponent”.

The Kremlin have not confirmed the death.

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