In the midst of claims that Vladimir Putin has fired six generals due to subpar performance, a top FSB commander has become the most recent Russian colonel to be slain in Ukraine.
According to local media, Lieutenant-Colonel Nikolay Gorban, 36, who was killed on August 2 “somewhere in Ukraine,” was leading elite Spetsnaz special forces men into action.
Putin allegedly sacked six of his generals due to failures that caused his invasion to stall and his forces to suffer shocking losses, according to British intelligence.
The MoD said on Sunday that General-Colonel Aleksandr Chayko and General-Colonel Aleksandr Zhuravlev, who led Russia’s Eastern and Western Military Districts, respectively, are “very likely” to have lost their positions.
Vladimir Kochetkov, a general-lieutenant, has taken over for Zhuravlev.
The MoD believes that General Aleksandr Vladimirovich Dvornikov, also referred to as the “Butcher of Syria,” who took command of the whole invasion of Ukraine in April when the Battle of Donbas began, has also been dismissed.
Another person who received the boot was General Gennady Valeryevich Zhidko, who oversaw the Southern Grouping of Forces.
According to the MoD, General Sergei Surovikin has taken his post.
At least six Russian commanders have likely been fired since hostilities began as a consequence of the Russian armed forces’ poor performance during their invasion of Ukraine, the report said.
At least 10 Russian generals were killed fighting in Ukraine, adding insult to injury.
The cumulative impact on command coherence is probably a factor in the tactical and operational challenges Russia faces.
According to Ukrainian media, Gorban is the most senior officer the FSB has lost in the conflict to far and the most recent top Russian commander to pass away on the battlefield.
He “participated in the conduct of combat actions and special operations both in Russia and overseas,” according to an official online reference lamenting his passing.
“He shown his bravery and leadership skills while conducting combat operations. He was pleased with his work with the Russian FSB.
Colonel Vasily Kleshchenko, a leader of the army’s aviation unit, was also confirmed as dead, dealing another blow to the Kremlin.
He served as the center’s vice-director for combat usage and retraining for skilled snipers and helicopter pilots.
He oversaw the world’s first aerobatic squad using Berkut military helicopters before the war, which was stationed in the Tver area of Russia.
He was the 98th colonel or lieutenant colonel reported to have passed away.
The most recent fatalities highlight how officers in Putin’s military forces and security agencies are being killed off by his war.
Twelve generals have been killed in the conflict in Russia as well.
Olga “Korsa” Kachura, 52, was the first female colonel to die in the Ukraine War for Putin’s soldiers last week.
She was a colonel in the Donetsk People’s Republic’s military and oversaw a division of rocket artillery that was sent into Ukraine.
She received the Hero of Russia honor posthumously from Putin “for bravery and heroism exhibited in the discharge of military service.”