A senior Russian general was killed in a fierce battle Ukraine which is a serious blow to the Russian invasion.
Major General Andrei Sukhovetsky, who was deputy commander of the 41st General Army of the Central Military District of Russia, died yesterday when Ukrainian defense forces repulsed the Russian offensive.
His death has not yet been officially confirmed by Russia’s Defense Ministry, but was announced on social media by his counterpart Sergei Chipilov and was widely circulated by several Russian and Ukrainian news outlets.
A military source confirmed that he had been killed by a “sniper” and suggested that the funeral of the major general – by far the highest-ranking Russian figure killed in the conflict to date – would take place in Russia on Saturday.
After days of denial, the Kremlin admitted yesterday that 498 of its soldiers had been killed and 1,600 wounded in a “special military operation” in Ukraine, but the true figure is almost certainly higher.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s armed forces said today that the Russian army had suffered 9,000 casualties – although the statement acknowledged that the death toll was “complicated by the high intensity of hostilities”.
Major General Andrei Sukhovetsky, who was deputy commander of the 41st General Army of the Central Military District of Russia, died yesterday when Ukrainian defense forces repulsed the Russian offensive
Andrei Sukhovetsky, Deputy Commander of the 41st General Army of the Central Military District. Pictured with Sergei Chipilov (right
Huge convoys of Russian armor rushed to several Ukrainian cities, only to be met with fierce resistance as well-armed troops used a mixture of their own and NATO-supplied anti-tank weapons to wreak havoc on the invaders.
An armed man stands next to the remains of a Russian military car in Bucha, near the capital Kyiv, Ukraine
Chipilov of the Union of Russian Parachutists in the Airborne Forces confirmed Sukhovetsky’s death on social media earlier today as perhaps the strongest evidence of the general’s death.
“With great pain we received the tragic news of the death of our friend, Major General Andrei Alexandrovich Sukhovetsky, in Ukraine during a special operation.
“We express our deepest condolences to his family,” the statement said.
It was not clear where Sukhovetsky was killed.
The 47-year-old was a highly awarded veteran who was appointed Deputy Commander of the 41st Division in October 2021.
He previously commanded the 7th Assault Assault Division in Novorossiysk for three years and completed several combat operations in the Chechen War, Abkhazia and the intervention in Syria.
Sukhovetsky twice took part in the Victory Parade on Red Square in Moscow and was awarded two orders of bravery, the Order of Military Merit and the Medal of Bravery.
He also received special praise for his participation in Russia’s annexation of Crimea.
Its loss will be seen in Ukraine as another encouraging sign that the Russian invasion is not progressing as planned.
The eighth day of the Russian invasion rose today when the city of Kherson, in southern Ukraine, fell to Moscow. Kherson, a city of 300,000 on the Black Sea, appears to have fallen under Russian control after the mayor said “armed visitors” had convened a council meeting and imposed a curfew. But the defense elsewhere is still strong, despite heavy bombardment
The eighth day of the Russian invasion rose today when the city of Kherson, in southern Ukraine, fell to Moscow.
Kerson is the first regional capital to be captured by Putin’s people after a week-long battle in which his army suffered heavy losses as Ukrainian forces continued to resist the Russian attack.
Defense elsewhere is still stable, although several cities – Chernihiv, Mariupol and Kharkiv, the main one – are under heavy Russian bombing.
Kyiv was hit by four large missiles at night, one of which struck Central Station and three of which hit television or radio stations.
In a video address to the nation early Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky praised his country’s resistance and vowed that the nation’s cities would be rebuilt with Russian money.
The Ukrainian president said “all lines of defense are in place”, with the cities of Kyiv, Chernigov, Sumy and Nikolaev resisting Russian attacks.
Kyiv: A residential building in Borodyanka can be seen almost completely destroyed on Thursday morning after a Russian missile hit it the day before, causing most of it to collapse
Kyiv: Another view of the apartment building in Borodyanka shows that it suffered severe damage in a Russian coup on Tuesday as Putin’s people continue to try to take over the country
“They wanted to destroy us. They failed. We’ve been through so much. And if anyone thinks that after overcoming all this, Ukrainians will be frightened, overwhelmed or surrender, they know nothing about Ukraine, “Zelensky said, adding:” We will rebuild every house, every street, every city and we say to Russia: learn the word “reparations”.
“You will restore us for everything you have done against our country, against every Ukrainian, completely.”
“We are a nation that destroyed the enemy’s plans in one week,” he said. “There will be no peace here. They will have no food. They will not have a single quiet moment here.
He said the fighting was affecting the morale of Russian soldiers who “go into grocery stores and try to find something to eat”.
“These are not superpower warriors,” he said. “These are confused children who have been used.”