A top Russian general has been killed following a missile strike in Ukraine.
Sergei Goryachev, 52, chief of staff for the 35th Combined Arms Army, was reportedly killed by a Ukrainian rocket attack in the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia region on Monday night.
Goryachev is believed to be the country’s highest-ranked Russian soldier to be killed on the battlefield this year.
There was no immediate confirmation from Russia’s defence ministry but Kremlin-aligned media also reported the death of General Goryachev, who commanded troops in Transnistria and Tajikistan as he rose through the ranks.
Vladimir Rogov, a Russian-installed official in part of the southern Zaporizhzhia region, said: “The army has lost one of its brightest and most effective military commanders.”
Ukraine’s military claimed responsibility by saying he “was eliminated as a result of the successful actions of the Ukrainian Army”.
General Goryachev was stationed at a frontline location in Zaporizhzhia that has come under intense fire during Ukraine’s counteroffensive, Russian military bloggers reported.
Ukraine claims to have captured several villages in the region but has lost several Western armoured vehicles.
