ONE of Russia’s prime paratrooper commanders has been killed attempting to carry again Ukraine’s counteroffensive, studies say.
Vasily Popov, 38, was believed to have died alongside three different officers within the newest set of Russian deaths.
Ukrainian forces have been conducting restricted and profitable counterattacks round Kyiv to try to disrupt the Russian militaries plans to take over the metropolis and relieve some stress on the capital.
It’s to date been profitable with town being more and more much less more likely to get taken over by Russia.
Popov led the elite 247th Airborne Assault Regiment for only a few weeks as he only recently took over.
The precise circumstances of his loss of life haven’t been disclosed however it’s doubtless he died on the Donetsk-Zaporizhzhia regional border, in line with the Institute for the Research of Conflict (ISW).
The regiment is understood to have earlier suffered heavy losses within the Ukrainian Conflict, with there being a scandal over his predecessor’s failure to ship again the our bodies of the fallen troops.
An earlier commander of the regiment Konstantin Zizevsky was killed within the first few days of the struggle, and has since been given the title of Hero of Russia.
The so known as “suicide squad” regiment have suffered heavy losses in Vladimir Putin’s failed speedy invasion of Ukraine firstly of the war.
ISW prompt that the Russian technique of sending extra elite troops for counterattacks on Ukraine will result in a decimation of Russian forces.
Popov’s loss of life provoked an emotional response amongst pro-war commentators.
Yegor Guzenko, writer of Telegram community Z-channel Thirteenth mentioned:
“The brand new commander of the 247th regiment died.
“He solely lately took up his command.
“A superb man, rattling, actually, rattling, a hero, rattling, only a hero.
“I’ve no different phrases, and I really feel sorry for him.
“Three different males died with him, and I really feel sorry for them.”
Russia has suffered a number of excessive profile deaths within the brutal struggle to date with Vitaly Gerasimov getting assassinated in March final yr simply days after Major General Andrei Sukhovetsky was killed by a Ukrainian sniper in the course of the preventing for Hostomel Airfield about 30 miles outdoors the capital Kyiv.
Main Basic Andrei Simonov additionally died whereas preventing final yr after his troop was targeted by brutal rocket strikes.
Footage went spherical social media exhibiting the rocket exploding as presidential advisor Oleksiy Arestovych confirmed the final’s loss of life alongside 100 different Russians within the vicious assault.
Most lately Vladimir Putin took an enormous blow when a Russian patrol boat was blown up by a Ukrainian kamikaze drone coming simply days after Ukraine launched a string of bold attacks on the tyrant’s prized £3billion bridge to Crimea.
It’s understood numerous folks have been killed and injured within the strike.