Russia lost a colonel, yet another death of a high-ranking military official roughly six weeks into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Russian Col. Alexander Bespalov was killed during fighting in Ukraine and buried in Ozersk, according to local reports.
Bespalov was the commander of the 59th Guards Tank Regiment and part of the 144th Guards Motorized Rifle Division, according to Visegard 24.
PUTIN TAPS ‘BUTCHER OF SYRIA’ FOR ESCALATION IN DONBAS
Russian Colonel Alexander Bespalov, the commander of the 59th Guards Tank Regiment (part of the 144th Guards Motorized Rifle Division), has been killed in battle by the Ukrainian Army. pic.twitter.com/jLMFi93hGY
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) April 10, 2022
Several top Russian military officials have been killed in combat since the Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine.
At least seven generals have died in the conflict to snipers, close combat, and bombings, according to a March 26 report from the Washington Post. Col. Denis Kurilo was killed during fighting near Kharkiv on March 29, according to Ukrainian officials.
More than 18,000 Russian soldiers have been killed during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to Ukrainian armed forces. This includes the destruction of 147 aircraft, 134 helicopters, 657 tanks, and thousands of other vehicles. Russia has been less vocal about its casualties, though its intermittent estimates are much lower than Western figures, and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov recently admitted “significant” losses of troops in Ukraine. At least 14,000 Ukrainian troops have been killed, Moscow claimed in late March.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is reportedly asking Gen. Aleksander Dvornikov, the so-called “Butcher of Syria,” to help reinvigorate the Russian offensive in Ukraine after a series of setbacks. Dvornikov has been tasked with conquering the eastern region of Donbas and is allegedly connected to the strike on Kramatorsk railway station that killed over 52 civilians and wounded over 300.
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Russia has ended its ground assault on the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv and is turning its focus to capturing Donbas, according to senior U.S. defense officials.
