The top men Putin has lost so far – all the commanders killed in Ukraine

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Major General Andrei Kolesnikov of Russia’s 29th Combined Arms Army is the latest of Vladimir Putin’s top commanders to have been killed in Ukraine.

As Russia’s invasion force struggles to make headway against fierce Ukrainian defence, and with battlefield communications faltering, many of Putin’s most senior military commanders are moving up to the front lines to personally oversee operations.

But that means exposing themselves to fire from Ukrainian snipers and mortar attacks. Ukraine now claims to have killed eleven Russian military leaders, including Kolesnikov and Generals Andrei Sukhovetsky and Vitaly Gerasimov.

Major General Gerasimov had previously been praised by Putin for his role in the annexation of the Ukrainian province of Crimea in 2014.

Lieutenant Colonel Denis Glebov also reportedly died in the battle for Chuhuiv and Colonel Andrei Zakharov is reported to have in an a Ukrainian ambush near Kyiv.

The destruction of a Chechen special forces column that included 56 tanks resulted in massive casualties including General Magomed Tushaev .

Ukrainian sources have also reported the deaths of three other senior Russian commanders: Lieutenant Colonel Dmitry Safronov, Lieutenant Colonel Denis Glebov and Colonel Konstantin Zizevsky.

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  Vladimir Putin's 'super weapons' mean he could cripple NATO without using his nukes

Ukraine claims to have killed over 12,000 Russian troops as the conflict moves into its fifteenth day.

Russia’s official figures are far lower, and a US government source put Russia’s losses at somewhere 5,000 and 6,000, with Ukraine losing less than 4,000 men.

But still, the Pentagon source told CBS News, Russia had sustained "very, very significant casualties" in the first two weeks of this bitter war.

With growing opposition to the war at home, Putin may resort to more desperate measures to bring hostilities to a speedy conclusion.

Earlier this week, White House press secretary Jen Psaki warned that everyone should be "on the lookout" for Russia to possibly use banned chemical or biological weapons to force a Ukrainian surrender.

Referring to Russian claims that Ukraine was preparing a biological attack, Ms Psaki wrote: ”This is all an obvious ploy by Russia to try to justify its further premeditated, unprovoked, and unjustified attack on Ukraine”.

• Vladimir Putin
• Military
• Russia
• Russia Ukraine war

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