- Russia has faced fierce resistance in its invasion of Ukraine, with many generals killed in action.
- Inexperienced officers have sometimes been promoted in their place, the UK Defence Ministry said.
- These are some of the top officers reported to have been killed.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, it has reportedly lost several top generals and commanders in the conflict.
The British Defence Ministry said in May 2022 that senior Russian commanders were even being moved to the frontline to take personal leadership of operations as its invasion stalled.
However, the longer-range missiles supplied by the West in the last year, including US HIMARS and British Storm Shadows, have allowed the Ukrainians to target Russian officers even if they stay further to the rear.
On July 12, it was reported that Lt. Gen. Oleg Tsokov, the highest-ranking Russian officer killed so far in the conflict, by a Storm Shadow strike deep in Russian-held territory.
Insider has compiled a list of the senior Russian officers reported to have been killed in action so far in the war.
Andrei Sukhovetsky
Maj. Gen. Andrei Sukhovetsky was the first high-ranking loss for the Russian military after being reported to have been killed by sniper fire.
Sukhovetsky was the commanding general of Russia’s 7th Airborne Division and deputy commander of the 41st Combined Arms Army.
Vitaly Gerasimov
Maj. Gen. Vitaly Gerasimov became the second senior Russian commander reported to be killed after Ukrainian military intelligence claimed he was shot dead in Kharkiv.
The defense ministry released intercepted audio of what it said were two Russian Federal Security Service, or FSB, officers discussing the death.
However, his death was later disputed by Russia, and Russian media reported that he was alive and was awarded the Order of Alexander Nevsky.
Andrey Kolesnikov
Ukraine’s military said in a tweet that they killed Russian Maj. Gen. Andrey Kolesnikov. He is believed to be the commander of the 29th Combined Arms Army.
His death would make him the third top Russian general to be killed.
—🇺🇦Armed Forces (@ArmedForcesUkr) March 11, 2022
Oleg Mityaev
Russia reportedly lost its fourth general after Maj. Gen. Oleg Mityaev, who was killed during the Russian assault on the city of Mariupol, Anton Gerashchenko, an advisor to Ukraine’s Interior Ministry, wrote on Telegram.
Ukrainian troops were able to intercept a call by a Russian general and kill him, according to The New York Times.
The paper cited two US military officials for the information. It did not name the general or give a location.
Andrei Mordvichev
Russian Lieutenant General Andrei Mordvichev was the commander of the 8th General Army of the Southern Military District of the Armed Forces and died due to “fire on the enemy,” the general staff of the Ukrainian army said on Twitter.
The general was reportedly killed when Ukrainian forces struck an airfield in Chornobayivka, near Kherson Airport, which is being used as a temporary Russian base, according to Oleksiy Arestovych, former presidential adviser, local outlet Interfax reported.
The Kremlin has not confirmed the general’s death.
Mordvichev’s death has been disputed, as The Times of London said that he was photographed with Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov after reports of his death.
Yakov Rezantsev
Ukraine said it killed Lieutenant General Yakov Rezantsev, Russia’s 49th Combined Arms Army commander and one of its highest-ranking military officials, The Kyiv Independent’s Illia Ponomarenko reported.
—Illia Ponomarenko 🇺🇦 (@IAPonomarenko) March 25, 2022
Russia has not confirmed the death, which an aide of Zelenskyy said occurred in Chornobaivka, a village in southern Ukraine.
Rezantsev had previously boasted that the invasion of Ukraine would be over in hours, The Telegraph reported.
Dmitry Safronov
Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense said that Lieutenant Colonel Dmitry Safronov, Commander of the 61st Separate Marine Brigade of the Russian Armed Forces, was killed during fighting when Ukrainian forces recaptured the city of Chuhuiv in the Kharkiv region.
Denis Glebov
In the same statement announcing Safronov’s death, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said that Lieutenant Colonel Denis Glebov, Deputy Commander of the 11th Separate Airborne Assault, had also been killed.
Russian news outlets reported that Glebov was killed while taking part in a special operation in Donbas and was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.
Konstantin Zizevsky
Guard Colonel Konstantin Zizevsky, the commander of the 247th Guards Air Assault Regiment, was reported to have been killed during a military operation to “protect the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics.”
His death was confirmed in an Instagram post by Mikhail Vedernikov, the governor of the Pskov Region.
Yuri Agarkov
Guard Lieutenant Colonel Yuri Agarkov died alongside Konstantin Zizevsky, according to the same Instagram post by Mikhail Vedernikov, the governor of the Pskov Region.
Agarkov had previously served as the 56th Air Assault Brigade chief of staff and commanded a motorized rifle regiment, according to a report in the Russian media.
Andrei Zakharov
Ukraine has claimed to have killed Colonel Andrei Zakharov in an ambush on a Russian armored column in a suburb of Kyiv, according to The Guardian.
Drone footage emerged of the fighting, and Ukrainian media claimed that Zakharov, the regiment’s commander, was killed.
Sergei Porokhnya
Colonel Sergei Porokhnya, the commander of Russia’s 12th Engineer Brigade based in Ufa, was reportedly killed in Ukraine.
Russian outlet KP-Ufa reported that the colonel was killed during a “special operation” in Ukraine, confirmed by some of his Russian colleagues on social media.
Gleb Garanich/Reuters
Magomed Tushaev
General Magomed Tushaev, a Chechen warlord, was reported to have been killed in a battle in Ukraine after a convoy of Chechen tanks was destroyed near Hostomel, according to The Daily Mail.
However, his death was later disputed by the Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov.
Forces from Russia’s Chechnya region have been supporting Putin in his invasion of Ukraine.
Another warlord reported killed is Vladimir Zhonga, who led the Sparta Battalion, a pro-Russian militant group operating in the Donetsk People’s Republic, which has the Kremlin’s backing.
Vladimir Zhoga was reported to be shot dead in Volnovakha, The Daily Mail said.
Sergei Sukharev
Colonel Sergei Sukharev, of the 331st Guards Parachute Assault Regiment from Kostroma, and his deputy Major Sergei Krylov were killed in battle in Ukraine, according to Russian state TV.
Sukharev was a leading Russian paratroop commander whose regiment fought against Ukraine outside the city Ilovaisk in Donbas in 2014, Ukraine’s Centre for Strategic Communication and Information Security (Stratcom) said in a statement, cited by The Independent.
Ukrainian journalist Illia Ponomarenko said that Sukharev was “responsible for the Ilovaisk massacre of 2014.”
Alexei Sharov
Colonel Alexei Sharov was reported to have been killed by Ukrainian forces in the besieged southern city of Mariupol.
Sharov commanded the 810th Guards Separate Order of Zhukov Brigade in the Russian Marines.
His death was reported by Odesa military administration spokesman Sergey Bratchuk on Telegram post and several Ukrainian news outlets, including Ukrinform.
—Анатолій Штефан (Штірліц) (@Shtirlitz53) March 22, 2022
Dmitry Dormidontov
Lieutenant Colonel Dmitry Pavlovich Dormidontov, commander of a rocket artillery division, was killed after an explosion struck his dugout in Ukraine, the Evening Standard reported, citing a local community report from the Tatarstan region of Russia.
The report said that three officers were killed in the attack: a division commander, a battalion commander, and an aircraft controller.
Igor Zharov
Lieutenant Colonel Igor Zharov, the chief of staff for a regiment, was killed in Ukraine, according to an obituary published in Russia, the Evening Standard said.
Local MP Igor Igoshin said that Zharov was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.
—Rob Lee (@RALee85) March 29, 2022
Denis Kurilo
Colonel Denis Kurilo was “liquidated” alongside 1,500-plus soldiers during fighting near Kharkiv, the Ukrainian military claimed.
Kurilo and the other soldiers belonged to the 200th Motorised Rifle Brigade based in Pechenga, Ukraine said.
—KyivPost (@KyivPost) March 29, 2022
Anton Kuprin
First Rank Captain Anton Kuprin was killed after Russia’s Moskva warship was sunk by Ukrainian missiles, Ukraine said.
Kuprin “died during an explosion and fire onboard the former flagship of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation,” Anton Gerashenko, advisor to the Kyiv interior ministry said, according to The Evening Standard.
US officials confirmed that Ukrainian missiles had struck the prized Russian ship and killed an unknown number of sailors, per The New York Times.
Reuters/Stringer/File photo
Denis Mezhuev
Lieutenant Colonel Denis Mezhuev, commander of the 1st Guards Motor Rifle Sevastopol Red Banner regiment, died in Ukraine, according to The Times of London.
Although his death has not been confirmed by the Kremlin, several social media users, including a Russian poet and composer, posted messages mourning Mezhuev’s death, the paper reported.
Vladimir Petrovich Frolov
Maj. Gen. Vladimir Petrovich Frolov, deputy commander of the 8th Army, was killed while battling Ukrainian forces, Russian media reported.
St. Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov confirmed his death, calling the fallen general a “true patriot” who died fighting in Ukraine, according to Russian newspaper Fontanka and Russian news agency TASS.
The governor attended his funeral on April 16, where the general was buried with military honors, Fontanka reported.
Miras Bashakov
Lieutenant Colonel Miras Bashakov died in Ukraine, Russian media reported.
A funeral was held for him in St. Petersburg on April 12, according to the Russian newspaper Fontaka.
Ivan Grishin
Colonel Ivan Grishin, commander of Russia’s 49th Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade, died in Ukraine, according to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The colonel died of shrapnel wounds to the abdomen near Kharkiv, Ukraine, according to The Daily Mail.
Vyacheslav Savinov
Lieutenant Colonel Vyacheslav Savinov, who headed Russian artillery intelligence, was killed in Ukraine, a Russian artillery school confirmed.
Savinov was the deputy chief of staff of the Russian Missile Troops and Artillery and head of artillery reconnaissance.
Photo by Metin Aktas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Denis Kozlov
Colonel Denis Kozlov died in Ukraine while trying to build a pontoon for Russian troops to advance across a river, according to Russian media outlets.
He was a commander of the 12th Separate Guards Engineers of Keningsbersko-Gorodokskaya Red Banner Brigade, according to the Evening Standard.
Kozlov is believed to have been among hundreds of Russian troops reportedly killed during a failed attempt to cross the River Donets in eastern Ukraine in May, according to the Evening Standard. The troops attempted to cross four times in broad daylight before they were beaten back with heavy losses, the outlet said.
The colonel was sent to Ukraine to replace Colonel Sergei Porokhnya, who was previously killed in Ukraine. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage, local outlets said.
Andrei Simonov
Major General Andrei Simonov was killed near the city of Izyum in the Kharkiv region, Ukrainian authorities said, according to The Kyiv Post.
The Ukrainian military attacked a field command post of the Russian 2nd Army on Saturday, striking more than 30 Russian armored vehicles, including tanks, according to the paper.
The general was among the 100 Russian soldiers killed in the attack, Presidential military adviser Oleksiy Arestovych said, according to The Kyiv Post.
Simonov was a senior commander of electronic warfare, Ukrainian government advisor Anton Gerashchenko said on his Telegram account.
Roman Kutuzov
Major-General Roman Kutuzov reportedly died while leading an operation in Ukraine’s Donbas region, according to a Telegram post by Russian state television reporter Alexander Sladkov.
Other Russian media outlets, including the pro-Kremlin website Tsargrad confirmed his death, but it has not been acknowledged by the Kremlin.
Tsargrad said that the general was killed near Severodonetsk, a city in eastern Ukraine that has become a focus of the Russian military campaign.
Roman Berdnikov
Lieutenant General Roman Berdnikov was also rumored to have been killed in Ukraine, possibly in the same attack as Kutuzov, according to multiple unconfirmed reports.
His death was first reported by independent Russian-language Telegram channel Volya media. Volya reported that the general was killed in a shootout after his car was ambushed by Ukrainian forces.
Kanamat Botashev
Kanamat Botashev, a retired Major General of the Russian Air Force, was reported to have been shot and killed in Ukraine, making him the most senior Russian air force commander known to be killed in the war.
The Ukrainian military said that Botashev was killed when a Russian Su-25 attack aircraft was shot down over the Lugansk region. The BBC said reports of his death were corroborated by one of his former colleagues.
Artem Nasbulin
Maj. Gen. Artem Nasbulin was reportedly killed in the Kherson region by High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) missiles, Serhiy Bratchuk, a spokesperson for the Odesa regional administration spokesperson, said on Telegram.
Russia has not confirmed his death.
Oleg Tsokov
Multiple Ukrainian and Russian sources reported that Lt. Gen. Tsokov was killed by a Storm Shadow missile in the port city of Berdyansk, 100 miles behind the frontline.
—Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) July 11, 2023
As the deputy commander of Russia’s Southern Military District, he would be the highest-ranking Russian officer to be killed in the conflict.
This article continues to be updated.
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