Ukraine Claims To Have Killed Fifth Russian General Since Start of the War

Kyiv has said it has killed one of Russia's most senior commanders, in what would be the fifth death of a general from Vladimir Putin's forces since the invasion of Ukraine started.

The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said Lieutenant General Andrei Mordvichev, commander of the 8th General Army of the Southern Military District of Russia's Armed Forces, had been killed.

The statement did not say where he died but ex-presidential candidate adviser Oleksiy Arestovych said he was killed when Ukrainian forces struck an airfield in Chornobayivka, in Kherson region, Interfax Ukraine reported.

The news was reported by the Kyiv Independent and a number of Western outlets.

The Russian defense ministry, which Newsweek has contacted for comment, has not confirmed Mordvichev's death in keeping with most previous claims by Ukraine of the deaths of several generals.

Ukraine's claims about the deaths of generals on the battlefield give Kyiv a significant public relations coup. Ukraine has said that as many as 14,000 Russian troops have died, although the U.S. estimates this number to be closer to 7,000.

However, Kyiv has been boasting about the demise of some of Putin's most senior figures in the war, which started on February 24.

On Wednesday, Ukrainian Interior Ministry adviser Anton Gerashchenko said Kyiv's forces had killed Major General Oleg Mityaev, who commanded the 150th motorized rifle division, which he had led since 2020.

Ukrainian officials said Mityaev had been killed during fighting in the southern city of Mariupol.

Colonel Sergei Sukharev, commander of the 331st Guards Parachute Assault Regiment from Kostroma, and his deputy, Major Sergei Krylov were killed on Thursday, according to the Ukrainian government and Russian state TV.

Major Generals Vitaly Gerasimov and Andrei Kolesnikov were also reportedly killed in separate incidents, according to Kyiv.

Russian media reported that General Andrei Sukhovetsky, deputy commander of the 41st Combined, had been killed by a sniper during a special operation in Ukraine.

Sukhovetsky was also the head of the 7th Airborne Division and was said to have been killed alongside a divisional commander and a regimental commander.

Britain's Ministry of Defence said that Putin's invasion of Ukraine has "stalled on all fronts" as Russian forces suffer heavy losses.

Some Western sources said that generals are being put at risk because they are being pushed closer to the front line to boost flagging morale among Russian troops. Russia has reportedly lost over a dozen senior officers.

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