Ukraine says it's killed another Russian general, the 4th since Putin's invasion began
Ukrainian Presidency/Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
- Ukraine said it killed a fourth top Russian general during fighting in Mariupol on Tuesday.
- Interior Ministry advisor Anton Gerashchenko named him as Maj. Gen. Oleg Mityaev.
- Top officers are not usually in danger in modern warfare, and losing them is a major blow.
Ukraine says it has killed another Russian general, the fourth since the invasion began last month.
Maj. Gen. Oleg Mityaev was killed Tuesday during the Russian assault on the city of Mariupol, Anton Gerashchenko, an advisor to Ukraine's Interior Ministry, wrote on Telegram Wednesday.
Gerashchenko posted a photo of what he said was Mityaev's body as evidence. Insider could not verify the authenticity of the image and Russia has not commented on the claim.
Officials from unnamed Western governments have briefed reported that Russia sent 20 Major Generals to Ukraine to lead the invasion.
Top-ranking officers are not usually in the direct line of fire, and losing so many would be a significant blow to the Russian military.
The other generals Ukraine says it has killed since the invasion began on February 24 are:
Maj. Gen. Vitaly Gerasimov, the first deputy commander of Russia's 41st army. He was killed in Kharkiv on March 7, the intelligence unit of the Ukrainian defense ministry said in a statement. Russia has not acknowledged the death.
- Russian Maj. Gen. Andrey Kolesnikov, believed to be the commander of the 29th Combined Arms Army, was killed on March 11, Ukraine's military said in a tweet. Russia has not acknowledged the death.
Maj. Gen. Andrei Sukhovetsky, another deputy commander of Russia's 41st army, was killed in February, according to reports in the Russian media.
Speaking on Tuesday night, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed the Russian offensive was losing steam.
"Many Russian conscripts died. Dozens of officers. One more general is among the killed invaders. At least one general today," he said. It is unclear if he was referring to Mityaev.
In recent days, Zelenskyy has used his video addresses to plead with Russian soldiers to lay down their arms and surrender.
Russia has been shelling the southern city of Mariupol for weeks, including targeting a maternity hospital.
Ukrainian officials estimate that around 2,500 civilians have been killed in the city, CNN reported.
Meanwhile, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba have continued to hold peace talks.
Lavrov told Russian news channel RBC on Wednesday that "negotiations have not been easy" but there is "hope for reaching a compromise," according to the state-run Interfax Russian news agency.