Russian President Vladimir Putin’s army has reportedly suffered yet another loss of a high-ranking military officer in Ukraine.
Col. Alexei Sharov, commander of the 810th Guards Brigade of the Russian Marines, is the latest Russian military officer to die in the war, according to Ukrainian officials. Sharov was reportedly killed Tuesday in Mariupol, and his death adds to the mounting losses Russian combat forces are taking in Ukraine, with one report tallying 15 top Russian commanders killed in the war thus far.
“Yet another senior Russian officer terminated in Ukraine. The Ukrainian military claims to have killed Alexei Sharov, commander of the 810th Guards Brigade of the Russian Marines,” the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture and Information Policy’s communications arm said on social media.
Yet another senior Russian officer terminated in Ukraine. The Ukrainian military claims to have killed Alexei Sharov, commander of the 810th Guards Brigade of the Russian Marines#StopRussia pic.twitter.com/SWg46i53Q3
— Stratcom Centre UA (@StratcomCentre) March 23, 2022
Mykhailo Podoliak, a top adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, said on Sunday that six Russian generals and dozens of colonels and other officers have been killed in Ukraine, a claim that cannot be independently verified.
RUSSIAN GENERALS PAYING PRICE FOR USING UNSECURED PHONES, RADIOS IN UKRAINE WAR
“High mortality of RF senior officers is striking,” Podoliak tweeted. “Already 6 generals killed: Maj Gens Tushayev, Gerasimov, Kolesnikov, Sukhovetsky, Mityaev & Lt Gen Mordvichev. Dozens of colonels & other officers. I.e. RF army is fully unprepared & fights only with numbers & cruise missiles.”
High mortality of RF senior officers is striking. Already 6 generals killed: Maj Gens Tushayev, Gerasimov, Kolesnikov, Sukhovetsky, Mityaev & Lt Gen Mordvichev. Dozens of colonels & other officers. I.e. RF army is fully unprepared & fights only with numbers & cruise missiles.
— Михайло Подоляк (@Podolyak_M) March 20, 2022
One report claimed as many as 15 of Putin’s top commanders have been killed in Ukraine, which would likely be the highest casualty rate among general officers in the Russian armed forces since World War II.
Among the dead commanders, the report listed:
- Lt. Gen. Andrei Mordvichev
- Maj. Gen. Vitaly Gerasimov
- Maj. Gen. Andrei Kolesnikov
- Maj. Gen. Andrei Sukhovetsky
- Col. Nikolay Ovcharenko
- Col. Sergei Porokhyna
- Col. Sergei Sukharev
- Col. Andrei Zakharov
- Col. Konstantin Zizevsky
- Lt. Col. Yuri Agarkov
- Lt. Col. Denis Glebov
- Lt. Col. Dmitry Safronov
- Maj. Viktor Maksimchuk
- Gen. Magomed Tushaev
- Capt. Andrey Paliy
- Capt. Alexey Glushchak
- Col. Alexei Sharov
Western officials estimate there are 20 Russian generals in Ukraine and that they are being pushed closer to the front lines in an effort to boost waning morale among troops, according to a report.
Many Russian military leaders are using unsecured phones and radios, the report said. In at least one case, Ukrainian forces intercepted a general’s call, determined his location, and killed him and his staff.
Putin has reportedly grown frustrated with his top military brass for stalled progress in Ukraine and the losses his army is taking.
At Putin’s behest, several Russian military generals have reportedly been fired, and a top spy has been arrested.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
U.S. intelligence officials estimate at least 7,000 Russian troops have been killed, but Ukrainian officials estimate upward of 14,000 enemy troops have been killed in combat.
The Kremlin has only acknowledged the deaths of 498 Russian troops, but a pro-Kremlin tabloid, Komsomolskaya Pravda, briefly reported on Monday that 9,861 Russian soldiers had died in Ukraine as of March 18, with 16,153 wounded, citing the Russian Defense Ministry. The tabloid quickly took down the information and later claimed its website had been hacked.
