Ukrainian officials reported their forces killed a Russian general near the Ukrainian city of Izyum on Saturday, making him the 10th general Russia has lost so far in its ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
The Kyiv Post reported on Sunday that Ukrainian forces killed Russian Maj. Gen. Andrei Simonov. Ukrainian National Guard units reportedly spotted a field command post belonging to the Russian 2nd Army near Izyum and passed the coordinates on to Ukrainian artillery units, which battered the position with rocket salvos. If reports of Simonov’s death are accurate, it would mean Russia has lost an average of one general a week so far in ten weeks of fighting in Ukraine.
The Ukrainian side claimed its artillery barrage struck more than 30 Russian armored vehicles including tanks during the artillery barrage. Presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych said the strike also killed around 100 Russian troops, including Simonov.
The Russian side has not yet confirmed Simonov’s death. The Russian military has been slow to comment on any of its losses so far in Ukraine, including about its generals.
Video shared on Twitter purported to show the rocket artillery barrage.
The Russian generals reportedly killed include Maj. Gen. Andriy Kolesnikov, who commanded Russia’s 29th Combined Arms Army; Maj. Gen. Andrei Sukhovetsky, who leads Russia’s 7th Guards Mountain Air Assault Division; Maj. Gen. Vitaliy Gerasimov, who served as the chief of staff and first deputy commander of the Russian military’s 41st Combined Arms Army; and Maj. Gen. Oleg Mityaev, commander of the 150th motorized rifle division.
Russia’s Komsomolskaya Pravda reported Russian Maj. Gen Vladimir Frolov, the deputy commander of the 8th Guards Combined Arms Army, was also killed.
Agence France-Presse reported the two other Russian generals killed are Lt. Gen Yakov Rezanstev, commander of Russia’s 49th Combined Arms Army and Gen Magomed Tushaev, a leader of Chechen Special Forces.
The Ukrainian side has also claimed to have Lt. Gen. Andrey Mordvichev, the leader of Russia’s Commander of the 8th Guards Combined Arms Army.
A former military colleague confirmed Sukhovetsky’s death on social media and Russian media confirmed Frolov’s death through an announcement for his funeral service. Thus far, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has disputed reports of Tushaev’s death and video circulated on social media purported to show Mordvichev meeting with Kadyrov days after his reported death. Russia has yet to confirm or deny the deaths of the other generals the Ukrainian side says it has killed.
As of Monday, the Ukrainian side claims Russia has lost more than 23,000 troops so far in its invasion. On 25 March, Russia’s military admitted to losing about 1,351 troops but does not appear to have provided any more recent updates.