Ukraine: Two more Russian generals killed, now at ten | Abroad

It is not known which two generals are involved. They are said to have been killed in fighting in Kherson, a region in southern Ukraine. The target of the Ukrainians was the command post of the Russian 49th Army. Reports say a third senior officer was seriously injured. Ten Russian generals are said to have been killed since the start of the war on February 24.

If the number of ten is correct, then that is a heavy loss for the Russians. It has not been seen since World War II that an army has seen so many officers of this caliber die. Moreover, more than thirty colonels are said to have died.

It would all have to do with how the Russians have prepared for the invasion of Ukraine. In particular, the poor communication facilities are a problem for the officers. Because secured lines often do not work, normal telephones are forced to use. This makes it easy to pick up phone calls: the Ukrainians know exactly where the officers are and then send snipers or point their guns at them. In this way at least 31 command and communication posts would have been located and destroyed. The poor progress of the offensive and the collapsed morale of the troops would also be an explanation. Generals are therefore forced to go to the front themselves to lead things, with all the associated risks.

The first general to die (though his death is denied by the Russians) is Chechen Magomed Tushayev. He died on February 26 near Hostomel, a city with an airport near Kiev. A few days later, Andrej Sukhovetski was shot dead by a sniper, also in Hostomel. He previously fought in the Syrian civil war and was also involved in the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014. His death has been confirmed.

General Vitali Gerasimov of the 41st Army is said to have been killed on March 8 during the siege of Kharkov. He too fought in Syria and Crimea, and before that in the second Chechen War. The report of his death by Ukraine has not been confirmed. So are Andrei Kolesnikov and Oleg Mityaev, who are said to have died on March 11 and 15, respectively. The latter is said to have died near Mariupol, the city that has been besieged by the Russians since early March. On March 18, General Andrey Mordvichev is said to have been killed in an artillery attack in Kherson. The Russians deny here too.

On March 25, the Ukrainians reported the death of General Yakov Rezantsev, the commander of the 49th Army. He is said to have been killed during an attack on his command post at Chernobayivka airport in the Kherson region. A few weeks later it became known (also in Russia) that General Vladimir Frolov had been killed. That news came out when he was buried in Saint Petersburg.