Russian Major General Killed In Mariupol, Claims Ukraine; 4th High-Ranking Official In 3 Weeks

Ukrainian authorities have claimed that a Russian general has been killed in the fighting on Tuesday during the storming of Mariupol.

According to Ukrainian Interior Ministry adviser Anton Gerashchenko the officer has been identified as Major General Oleg Mityaev.

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Gerashchenko also published a photo on Telegram of what he said was the dead officer.

The 46-year-old was commanded the 150th motorized rifle division and had fought in Syria, Gerashchenko said.

BREAKING: The Azov Battalion in Mariupol claim to have killed a Russian Major General in the city. pic.twitter.com/JoFx70rQdJ

¡ª Conflict News (@Conflicts) March 15, 2022

He is said to have died alongside elite special operations fighters from the feared Dzerzhinsky Division of the country¡¯s national guard, which is under Vladimir Putin¡¯s direct control.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported the death of another Russian general in his nighttime address but didn't name him.

There was no confirmation of the death from Russia.

A #Russian major general was slain. The General, Oleg Mityaev, was the Commander of the 150th motorized rifle division, #Ukrainian media reports. pic.twitter.com/XKwpfxo41I

¡ª NEXTA (@nexta_tv) March 15, 2022

According to Ukrainian authorities, Mityaev is the fourth high-ranking Russian military official to be killed in the three weeks of the war.

Other Generals also died

Earlier, Ukraine claimed to have killed Major General Vitaly Gerasimov of the Russian army, Major General Andrey Sukhovetsky and Deputy Chief of the Russian forces¡¯ headquarters Major Andriy Burlakov were killed in Kherson.

Russia has so far only officially acknowledged the death of Major General Andrei Sukhovetsky.

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The death of at least one more high-ranking official has been confirmed by his ex-colleagues on social media.

Another high-profile officer whose death has been confirmed is Chechen General Magomed Tushaev.

He was the commander of the 141th motorised national guard brigade -- Chechen head of state Ramzan Kadyrov's elite force.

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The news of his death was confirmed by Kadyrov himself.

Many including western intelligence agencies have questioned how and why so many top-ranking Russian officials are at the frontlines of the war.

There have been several reports suggesting that Putin and his close associates may have grossly underestimated the resistance Russian troops could face in Ukraine.

AP/ File

Observers believe Russia had expected to make far more rapid progress in the invasion after it was launched on February 24, with forces that were welcomed rather than face fierce resistance from Ukrainians.

"People did not make clear to (President Vladimir) Putin the reality of the situation," a French intelligence source, who asked not to be named told AFP.

There were also reports that some in the powerful Federal Security Agency (FSB) were opposed to the war and even leaked a plot to assassinate Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which resulted in the killing of the Chechen commander, along with his men.

AFP

Multiple reports also suggest that the head of the 5th Service of the FSB, Sergei Beseda, and his deputy, Anatoly Bolukh, had both been placed under house arrest in an investigation.

According to Ukraine, the Russian death toll in the war so far is more than 13,000.

AP

This is in addition to the 1,375 armoured personnel carriers, 819 vehicles, 430 tanks, 190 artillery systems, 60 fuel tanks, 70 multiple launch rocket systems, 108 helicopters, 84 aircraft, 43 anti-aircraft warfare systems, 11 unmanned aerial vehicles, and 2 boats, Russia has lost in Ukraine.

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