London: Western officials on Friday named seven Russian generals they saidhad so far been killed, and another who had been sacked, during the war inUkraine.
The latest to die, Lieutenant General Yakov Rezanstev, was a commander ofRussia’s 49th Combined Arms Army in its southern military district, anofficial disclosed.
Meanwhile, Russian Army Commander General Vlaislav Yershov, of the 6thCombined Arms Army, was identified as the general sacked earlier this weekby the Kremlin.
It has been reported his abrupt dismissal was due to the heavy losses andstrategic failures seen during the Russian military s month-long invasionof its neighbour.
Among the others said to have been killed is General Magomed Tushaev, ofthe Chechen Special Forces deployed by Russian President Vladimir Putin inUkraine.
The number of both rank-and-file Russian troops and senior officersallegedly killed in the month-long war has shocked Western military andsecurity officials.
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It has been blamed in part on communications and logistics issues, leadingsenior officers to use unencrypted channels which has exposed them toUkrainian forces.
The Kremlin claimed Friday that just over 1,300 military personnel havedied in the war, but estimates of four or five times that number are seenas credible in Western capitals.
Officials there believe around 20 of the 115-120 battalion tactical groupsdeployed by Moscow in Ukraine are “no longer combat effective” due to thelosses sustained.
