March 13, 2022

Third Russian General is Killed in Ukraine, Russia Strikes Back Near Poland

Russian President Vladimir Putin. Photo by Kremlin.ru

Ukrainian officials say their forces killed the Russian Major General Andrey Kolesnikov, the third of his rank to die since the invasion began.

Western officials have confirmed all three deaths of the generals, the equivalent of a US brigadier general. Ukraine did not release details about his death. Casualties among such high ranking officers suggests Russia is taking greater than usual risks to push stalled forces forward.

In Moscow, the Kremlin began moving more forces toward it western border. Another sign the invasion is not going as Russia hoped, they have also been recruiting Syrians with experience in urban combat to fight in Ukraine. According to the defense minister, over 16,000 volunteers from the Middle East have asked to fight on behalf of Moscow-backed separatists.

“The airstrike was carried out from the Black and Azov seas,” Lviv regional administration head Maksym Kozytskiy said in a Telegram post, which confirmed the number of dead and injured. He added that around 30 missiles had hit the International Center for Peacekeeping and Security in Yavoriv.

The base is west of the city of Lviv, where thousands have fled amid heavy attacks in the eastern part of the country. Military supply groups told NBC News last week that the six-hour drive from Kyiv to Lviv now takes about a day’s time.

Both Lviv and other cities along the Polish border have been crucial in allowing for the influx of supplies that allow the Ukrainian military to keep up its fight against Russia.