Kyiv: The Ukrainian military intelligence said that a Russian general was killed in the fighting around Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city.
Ukraine identified the general as Major General Vitaly Gerasimov.
Gerasimov is said fought in Syria and Chechnya. He was the first deputy commander of the 41st Army of the Central Military District of Russia.
The top Russian military officer was also a part of the seizure of Crimea in 2014.
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However, Russia has not yet confirmed the reports about the death of the general.
Earlier, another Russian general was reported to have been killed in Ukraine.
The officer killed earlier was identified as Major General Andrei Sukhovetsky, the commanding general of the Russian 7th Airborne Division.
Earlier US officials stated that Russia is recruiting Syrian fighters experienced in urban combat to fight in Ukraine.
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As per reports, US officials stated that Russia in the past few days recruited these Syrian fighters with the hope of taking over Kyiv.
It may be mentioned that Russia entered the Syrian civil war in 2015. It supported the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.
Although there is no confirmation on how many of these fighters have been recruited but it has been reported that some are already in Russia.
There are reports that not just Syrian, other foreign fighters have entered the war from both sides.