ANOTHER top Russian commander killed: Elite paratroop colonel and his deputy are 'liquidated' by Ukrainians as death toll in Putin's army hits 7,000
- Col Sergei Sukharev and his deputy Major Sergei Krylov among a number slain from 'glorious' Kostroma regiment, seen as Russia's most elite fighting forces
- His 'liquidation' was claimed by Ukraine's Centre for Strategic Communication
- Russia said Sukharev and his forces were protecting a vital power plant in Almaty
One of Russia's top paratroop commanders has been killed in Ukraine in the latest blow to Vladimir Putin's debilitating war effort.
The death of Col Sergei Sukharev, of the 331st Guards Parachute Assault Regiment from Kostroma, was confirmed by state TV in Moscow.
Earlier his 'liquidation' had been claimed by Ukraine's Centre for Strategic Communication and Information Security.
'Commander of the Kostroma Airborne Regiment, Colonel Sergei Sukharev… got lost in the "[military] exercises", but returned home the right way,' said the Ukrainian statement.
His deputy Major Sergei Krylov was killed alongside him, said the report.
Colonel Sergei Sukharev of the 331st Guards Parachute Assault Regiment, Kostroma, died in Ukraine together with senior sergeant Sergei Lebedev, sergeant Alexander Limonov and corporal Yuri Degtyaryov of the same regiment
They were among a number slain from the 'glorious' Kostroma regiment, seen as among Russia's most elite fighting forces.
Russia acknowledged that senior sergeant Sergei Lebedev, sergeant Alexander Limonov and corporal Yuri Degtyaryov were also killed.
Sukharev was seen on Russian TV in January when he led his troops back from Kazakhstan where they had been sent following a wave of protests.
Sukharev was seen on Russian TV in January (pictured) when he led his troops back from Kazakhstan where they had been sent following a wave of protests
Russia described their mission as 'peacekeeping' and Sukharev said his forces protected a vital power plant in Almaty.
Killed, too, in the latest Ukrainian fighting was military intelligence officer Sergey Vishnyakov, of the GRU's 22nd Separate Special Forces Brigade.
He is believed to have been killed fighting near Mariupol in a Grad attack by Ukraine's Azov battalion.
Lieutenant Colonel Yuri Agarkov, from Volgograd, commander of a motorised rifle regiment, died during a special operation.
Major Ruslan Petrukhin, deputy battalion commander of the 38th Motorised Rifle Brigade, was also reported killed in action in Ukraine.
Commander of the Guards Tank Kantemirovskaya Division, Colonel Andrey Kolesnikov, of the 29th Combined Arms Army became the latest high profile casualty of the war on 11 March after getting killed during fighting
Oleg Mityaev, 47, left, major general of the Russian army - commander of the elite 150th motorized rifle division, reportedly died in Ukraine, as well as Major General Vitaly Petrovich Gerasimov, who was killed on 7 March outside the eastern city of Kharkiv (pictured right)
Russia has failed to announce its estimated death toll in Ukraine for more than two weeks.
There are claims it runs to around 7,000 with suspicions the true figure is being kept secret to prevent a sapping of support in Russia.
Yet the daily toll - including elite soldiers - indicates Russia is haemorrhaging its forces in a 'military operation' supposedly fought to boost its security, and 'deNazify' Ukraine.
Moscow had deployed the 331st Guards Parachute Assault Regiment previously in Chechnya in two wars after the fall of the USSR, in Georgia in 2008, and in the Donbas in 2014.
Russia has seen the deaths of at least four generals in Ukraine.
Before the latest death of Sukharev, Major-General Oleg Mityaev, 47, commander of the army's 150th motorised rifle division, died fighting around the besieged city of Mariupol, Ukraine's interior ministry said late Tuesday as officials released a photo of what they claimed was his corpse on the battlefield.
Two weeks ago, Major General Andrei Sukhovetsky, 47, deputy commander of the 41st Combined Arms Army of the Central Military District, was reportedly killed by a sniper on 3 March
He marked the fourth Russian general that Ukraine claims to have taken out and the 13th officer overall, as Putin's invading forces suffer heavy losses at the hands of dogged Ukrainian defenders.
Before him, on 11 March, Major General Andrei Kolesnikov of the 29th Combined Arms Army became the latest high profile casualty of the war, which came four days after the killing of Major General Vitaly Gerasimov, 45, the first deputy commander of Russia's 41st army.
And two weeks ago, Major General Andrei Sukhovetsky, 47, deputy commander of the 41st Combined Arms Army of the Central Military District, was reportedly killed by a sniper on 3 March.
The deaths have come as Russia's invasion grinds into its third week with heavy losses for Moscow.
The Pentagon estimates at least 7,000 Russian troops have now died in the fighting, with another 14,000 to 21,000 having been wounded, accounting for nearly a fifth of the estimated 150,000 men that Putin amassed on the border before before giving the order to attack 21 days ago.
Russia's war casualties
Major General Andrei Kolesnikov: Commander of the 29th Combined Army Army
Major General Vitaly Gerasimov: First deputy commander of Russia's 41st army who took part in operations in Syria and Crimea
Major General Andrei Sukhovetsky: Deputy commander of the 41st Combined Arms Army of the Central Military District killed during a special operation by a sniper
Major General Andrei Kolesnikov of the 29th Combined Arms Army was killed last week in another blow to the Kremlin
Major General Vitaly Gerasimov (left) was killed last week and was the first deputy commander of Russia's 41st army. Major General Andrei Sukhovetsky (Right), 47, deputy commander of the 41st Combined Arms Army of the Central Military District, was also killed in Ukraine
Colonel Andrei Zakharov: Killed in a Ukrainian ambush near Kyiv
Lieutenant Colonel Dmitry Safronov: Leader of marine brigade killed after Ukrainian forces recaptured Chernihiv
Lieutenant Colonel Denis Glebov: Leader of air assault troops killed in Chernihiv
Colonel Konstantin Zizevsky: Leader of air assault troops killed in the south of Ukraine
Lieutenant Colonel Denis Glebov (left) and Lieutenant Colonel Dmitry Safronov (right) died in a battle in Chuhuiv and
Colonel Konstantin Zizevsky (left), who led air assault troops died in the south of Ukraine and Captain Alexey Glushchak (right), of the GRU intelligence service, who died fighting near Mariupol
Colonel Andrei Zakharov (right, with Vladimir Putin) was killed in an ambush near Kyiv in the opening days of the war, while
General Magomed Tushaev: Chechen special forces leader killed in an ambush near Hostomel
Vladimir Zhonga: Leader of neo-Nazi Sparta Battalion backed by the Kremlin
Georgy Dudorov: Deputy commander of the reconnaissance company for the 137th regiment of the 106th Tula Guards Airborne Division
Aleksey Aleshko: Paratroop intelligence officer that was a graduate of the prestigious Ryazan Guards Higher Airborne School
Vladimir Zhoga (left), the leader of a military group from the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, was killed in Volnovakha while Chechen general Magomed Tushaev (right) was reported killed in an ambush on an armoured column
Georgy Dudorov (left), deputy commander of an airborne reconnaissance division, and Aleksey Aleshko (right), a paratroop intelligence officer, have also been killed
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10626643/ANOTHER-Russian-commander-killed-Elite-paratroop-colonel-deputy-liquidated-Ukrainians.html
'Putin fires one of his generals': Deputy head of national guard unit who has suffered major losses in Ukraine is canned amid claims he 'leaked information that led to loss of life' and 'squandered fuel'
- General Roman Gavrilov was arrested by the FSB on Thursday, sources claimed
- His Rosgvardia force has suffered significant losses while Russia's assault stalls
- Comes as Vladimir Putin has yet to make any significant advance in three weeks
Russia has reportedly fired one of its top generals today as the country's invasion of Ukraine continues to be met with fierce resistance.
General Roman Gavrilov, 45, the deputy chief of Vladimir Putin's Rosgvardia force - or National Guard - was detained amid claims he had 'leaked information' and 'squandered' much-needed fuel.
News of his arrest by the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB) was reported by three trusted sources, according to investigative news website Bellingcat.
But the real reason for his alleged sacking remains unclear - while a Russian official has since denied he was let go.
One source said he was fired over alleged leaks of military intel which 'led to loss of life', while two others said he was cuffed for 'wasteful squandering of fuel.'
General Roman Gavrilov (pictured), the deputy chief of Vladimir Putin's Rosgvardia force - or National Guard - was detained amid claims he had 'leaked information' and 'squandered' much-needed fuel
Philip Ingram, a security expert and former senior British intelligence officer, told The Times last week that Vladimir Putin (pictured) was obviously 'very angry' and blaming his intelligence agencies for his stalling Ukraine invasion
Since entering Ukraine, the Rosgvardia force (pictured) has suffered significant losses of life in the face of Ukrainian resolve
Gavrilov became deputy chief of the National Guard last June, according to the unit's website, after serving 10 years in the country's Federal Guard Service.
But since entering Ukraine, his Rosgvardia force has suffered significant losses of life in the face of Ukrainian resolve.
The military unit spearheaded Russia's initial assault on its eastern European neighbour, which Putin had hoped would be over within days.
But three weeks later, Ukraine is holding strong with Russia yet to take any major city or strategic location.
Last week Oleksiy Danilov, head of Ukraine's security council, said 'around eight' Russian commanders had been fired since the start of the conflict as Moscow scrambled to change strategy after its attempted 'shock and awe' blitz fell flat.
Putin was also said to be infuriated with commanders of the FSB security service - which he used to run - for handing him intelligence suggesting that Ukraine was weak, riddled with neo-Nazi groups, and would give up easily if attacked.
Philip Ingram, a security expert and former senior British intelligence officer, told The Times that Putin was obviously 'very angry' and was blaming his intelligence agencies.
'He blames them for seeding him the advice that led to the poor decision-making in Ukraine,' he said.
[my comment: Napoleon said that a military leader has to see everything himself, not rely on information from others]
That poor decision making has led to Russia suffering much higher casualties than it expected in its attack.
It comes as Western officials suggested today that Russia may not be able to mount an all-out attack on Kyiv as its demoralised troops suffer increasing casualties and become bogged down outside the Ukrainian capital.
Intelligence suggests Putin's troops are only making small advances without a major strategic breakthrough in the face of 'fierce and mobile' Ukrainian resistance.
The Pentagon estimates at least 7,000 Russian troops have now died in the fighting while another 14,000 to 21,000 have been wounded.
That accounts for nearly a fifth of the estimated 150,000 men that Putin amassed on the border before giving the order to attack 21 days ago.
There are questions over whether the occupying force could absorb the additional losses they would suffer if they tried to storm the well-prepared capital.
Officials cited the deaths of four senior generals as a sign things are not going well - because top-ranking officers would not usually have to get in harms way to provide 'close-up supervision' of troops.
'They are getting pretty bogged-down around Kyiv. No doubt small gains are being made incrementally, but Ukrainian resistance is fierce and mobile,' they said.
'The sort of tactics the Ukrainians have used have been remarkably effective. An ill-judged ground assault on a city as well-prepared as Kyiv would be a very costly business.
'There comes a point where even Russia has to count the cost of casualties.'
Sources also confirmed that Russia is seeking to recruit 'additional forces' in the form of mercenaries from Syria and Chechnya - also seen as a sign that its battleplans are failing.
The war Moscow was thought to have hoped to win within days has entered its fourth week, and while Russian forces continue strikes on civilian targets, Ukraine's military has been putting up a strong resistance.
Russia has taken heavy losses, with figures based just on visual confirmation alone suggesting 1,380 Russian military vehicles have been either destroyed (598), damaged (20), abandoned (211) or captured by Ukrainian forces (551).
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10624659/Russia-sacks-one-generals-amid-claims-leaked-information-led-loss-life.html
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