Five generals are among the senior Russian military figures to perish in Ukraine as Vladimir Putin sends his forces to die in his illegal invasion.
Troops were told that they would be given a hero's welcome in Ukraine, but the Kremlin's lies have instead cost upwards of 12,000 Russian lives.
The latest senior figure to die in the war is Lieutenant General Andrey Mordvichev, one of Putin's most trusted leaders.
The invaders have endured heavy losses since the war began on February 24, amid reports that numerous demoralised Russian troops have refused to fight.
The first general's death came only four days into the invasion, and in the just over three weeks since, a number of Russian military leaders have been killed in battle.
Some of the dead Russian commanders were said to have come to the frontline, something they would normally do if there were issues over decision-making, or their seniority was needed to get the troops forward.
Western sources said that a lot of generals are being killed because they are being pushed closer to the front line than usual to boost Russian soldiers' morale
Listed below are the most senior Russian military officials to have died in Ukraine so far.
Lieutenant General Andrey Mordvichev - March 19
Lieutenant General Andrey Mordvichev was one of Vladimir Putin’s most senior commanders, in charge of the 8th All-Military Army of the Kremlin’s vast Southern Military District.
Moscow did not initially confirm his death in keeping with most previous claims of the the deaths of several generals.
Ukraine now claims to have killed five holding the rank of General.
“As a result of fire on the enemy by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the commander of the 8th All-Military Army of the Southern Military District of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, Lieutenant General Andrey Mordvishev was killed,” said a statement from the army general staff in Kyiv.
Colonel Sergei Sukharev - March 18
Colonel Sergei Sukharev, one of Russia's top paratroop commanders, is the latest to be killed, in another blow to Vladimir Putin’s debilitating war effort.
The colonel, of the 331st Guards Parachute Assault Regiment from Kostroma, was confirmed dead by state TV in Moscow on March 18.
The airborne regiment commander had played a key role in the Battle of Ilovaysk, which was the single biggest loss of life for Ukraine during its war against Russian-backed separatists prior to the invasion.
His death was first reported by Ukraine's Centre for Strategic Communication and Information Security on March 17 before it was later confirmed.
The Ukrainian statement read: "Commander of the Kostroma Airborne Regiment, Colonel Sergei Sukharev…got lost in the ‘[military] exercises’, but returned home the right way."
His deputy Major Sergei Krylov was killed alongside him, said the report and Sukharev had only been in charge of the feared regiment since October.
They were among a number slain from the “glorious” Kostroma regiment, seen as among Russia ’s most elite fighting forces.
Major General Oleg Mityaev - March 15
Major General Oleg Mityaev was the fourth general to die in Russia's invasion of Ukraine so far.
He was killed along with a number of elite special force fighters as they tried and failed to take Mariupol.
The south Ukrainian city has seen some of the most relentless Russian bombings and aerial attacks, but is yet to be taken by Putin's forces.
A picture of the 47-year-old’s corpse was released by Kyiv on March 15 and Moscow are yet to comment on his death.
Major General Andrei Kolesnikov - March 11
General Andrei Kolesnikov, of the 29th Combined Arms Army of the Eastern Military District, was killed in fighting last week, on March 11.
He was among 20 Russian generals understood to be leading the invasion of Ukraine.
Kolesnikov had only been promoted in December 2021.
He had previously been a lieutenant colonel and chief of staff of the 4th Guards Tank Division, personnel of which were involved in Kosovo and in the second Chechen war.
Major General Vitaly Gerasimov - March 7
The Chief Directorate of Intelligence of Ukraine's defence ministry said in a statement Major General Vitaly Gerasimov was killed on Monday, March 7 along with several other officers.
Gerasimov, first deputy commander of Russia's 41st army, was the second of Putin’s generals to die in the invasion.
The statement read: “Another loss among the senior command staff of the occupying army.
“During the fighting near Kharkiv, Vitaly Gerasimov, a Russian military leader, major general, chief of staff and first deputy commander of the 41st Army of the Central Military District of Russia was killed.
"A number of senior Russian army officers were also killed and wounded.
Gerasimov, 45, had fought with Russian forces in Syria and Chechnya and had taken part in the seizure of Crimea in 2014.
Lieutenant Colonel Denis Glebov - March 6
Lieutenant Colonel Denis Glebov was killed near the city of Chuhuiv, according to Russian media.
He was serving as Deputy Commander of the 11th Separate Airborne Assault Brigade of the Russian Armed Forces.
His funeral was held on Sunday 6 March, Russian media reported, and he was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.
Beneath the rank of major general, many other senior officials have lost their lives over the past three weeks.
Major General Andrei Sukhovetsky - February 28
Andrei Sukhovetsky, a high-ranking Russian general, was the first senior figure confirmed to have been killed during fighting in Ukraine.
As Major General he sat only four positions below the Marshal of the Russian Federation, who runs the entire armed forces.
Experts said his death would have come as a bitter blow to the Russian military command and would've been fed back to Putin himself.
Sukhovetsky was the commanding general of the Russian 7th Airborne Division and a deputy commander of the 41st Combined Arms Army.
He is the most senior known casualty when he died on February 28, only a few days into Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Sukhovetsky was a highly respected paratrooper, famed for leading training missions in “hostile territory”.
A military source said he had been killed by a sniper.
"It is with great pain that we have received the tragic news about the death of our friend Major General Andrei Sukhovitsky during a special operation in Ukraine," a statement from a Kremlin insider said.
"We send our hearts out to his family. My deepest condolences."
Sukhovetsky also took part in Russia's military campaign in Syria.
Christo Grozev, executive director of investigative journalism outlet Bellingcat, said that confirmation of his death would be a “major demotivator” for Russian troops.
Lieutenant Colonel Dmitry Safronov, Commander of the 61st Separate Marine Brigade of the Russian Armed Forces, died when Ukrainian forces recaptured the city of Chuhuiv in Kharkiv.
Guard Colonel Konstantin Zizevsky , Commander of the 247th Guards Air Assault Regiment, died during a military operation to "protect the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics," according to Mikhail Vedernikov, the governor of the Pskov Region.
He died alongside Guard Lieutenant Colonel Yuri Agarkov.
Ukrainian forces claimed to have killed Colonel Andrei Zakharov in an ambush on a Russian armoured column in a suburb of Kyiv.
General Magomed Tushaev, a Chechen warlord, is believed to have been killed in a battle in Ukraine after a 56 tank convoy of Chechen vehicles were destroyed near Hostomel.
Vladimir Zhonga, a warlord who led the Sparta Battalion - a Neo-Nazi military unit that has the Kremlin's backing - has also died.
Want all the latest news and analysis from Ukraine? Sign up to our World News Bulletin here
