A third Russian general has reportedly died on the front lines of the war in Ukraine as Moscow‘s invasion continues to take a heavy toll up and down the ranks.
The death of Maj. Gen. Andrei Kolesnikov of the 29th Combined Arms Army was reported by the Ukrainian military’s Twitter account, then later confirmed to several media outlets by unnamed Western officials. It comes after the deaths of Maj. Gen. Vitaly Gerasimov, chief of staff of the 41st Army, who died outside Kharkiv, and Maj. Gen. Andrey Sukhovetsky, who was reportedly picked off by a Ukrainian sniper.
“The Russian occupiers continue to lose their officers in the war against Ukraine,” the Ukrainian military tweeted. “The Armed Forces managed to eliminate Major General Andriy Kolesnikov, the commander of the Eastern Military District.”
Російські окупанти продовжують втрачати у війні проти України своїх офіцерів. ЗСУ вдалося ліквідувати генерал-майора Андрія Колеснікова, командувача Східного військового округу. pic.twitter.com/CEBDneqslz
— ??Armed Forces (@ArmedForcesUkr) March 11, 2022
About 20 Russian major generals are believed to be fighting in Ukraine. With three already dead in just over two weeks, the toll has matched the number killed in the Syrian civil war, where Russia fought on the side of Syrian President Bashar Assad.
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Gerasimov was killed during fighting near Kharkiv, Ukraine’s defense intelligence directorate said in a Facebook post on Monday. Other senior Russian army officers were also killed and wounded in the fighting, according to the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine.
Gerasimov took part in the Second Chechen War and the Russian military operation in Syria, the intelligence agency said. The post also said he received a medal “for the return of Crimea.” Russia invaded and annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in 2014.
Sukhovetsky was a highly decorated soldier who saw action in the Chechen War, Abkhazia, and the war in Syria. He had participated in the traditional Russian Victory Day Parade in Moscow twice and won a special commendation for his participation in Russia’s annexation of Crimea. His death was confirmed last week by Russian news website Pravda.
“With great pain, we learned the tragic news of the death of our friend, Maj. Gen. Andrey Sukhovetsky, on the territory of Ukraine during the special operation,” Pravda quoted fellow soldier Sergey Chipilev saying. “We express our deepest condolences to his family.”
The United States estimates that between 5,000 and 6,000 Russian troops may have been killed in the first two weeks of the invasion of Ukraine.
It is rare for U.S. generals to die in battle, but it is less so for their Russian counterparts who consider strong leadership to require their presence on the front lines, Michael Kofman, director of the Russia Studies Program at CNA, told Task & Purpose.
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“They tend to have a very proactive, personalized style of leadership,” Kofman added. “And that is a reflection of how they practice command and control, how they lead, and their organizational culture.”
