The leader of the pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine confirmed on Tuesday the death of a Russian general in this region where the forces of Moscow are carrying out a major offensive against those of Kyiv.
In a message posted on Telegram, Denis Pushilin sent his “sincere condolences to the family and friends” of General Roman Kutuzov, “who showed by example how to serve the fatherland”.
“As long as our generals fight alongside the soldiers, our country and our nation will be invincible,” the separatist leader added, posting a black and white photo of the officer.
The death of General Kutuzov was reported on Sunday by a Russian war correspondent, Alexander Sladkov, but had so far not been confirmed by official sources.
The announcement of his death comes as Russian forces and their separatist allies assault Ukraine’s Donbass, including fierce fighting in the city of Severodonetsk.
Several senior Russian army officers have been killed since the start of Moscow’s offensive in Ukraine on February 24. Their exact number is not known, the Russian authorities rarely communicating on their losses.
At the end of March, a ceremony of tribute to the deputy commander of the Russian Black Sea fleet, Andreï Paliï, who died in action in Ukraine near Mariupol (south-east), was held in annexed Crimea.
And in April, the funeral of General Vladimir Frolov took place in Saint Petersburg, with local authorities declaring on this occasion that he had met a “heroic death” in Ukraine.