Vladimir Putin has lost yet another general in the war in Ukraine, according to reports.
Major-General Dmitry Ulyanov, 44, had returned to active service after retirement as a commander in Russia's illegal Ukrainian invasion.
He died in a firefight when he was attacked by a Ukrainian sabotage group this week, it has been claimed.
Previously Ulyanov was a top paratrooper, commander of the elite 98th Guards Airborne Division.
He went to the current war commanding a regiment of mobilised motorised infantrymen from Tatarstan.
Ulyanov had earlier served as the Chief of Staff of the 7th Airborne Division, commander of the 1141st artillery regiment, and commander of the 98th Airborne Division, say open sources.
Ulyanov is the first such high ranked commander to be killed for many months.
A family friend posted that he had been the son of a commander.
“Like his father did not sit in the rear, he went to the front line,” said the eulogy.
“Glory to the Hero! Glory to the Airborne Forces!”
The death means Putin has lost at least 10 such senior commanders.
Reports last year named the following top brass killed in the war: Lt-Gen Yakov Rezantsev, 48, Maj-Gen Andrei Kolesnikov, 45, Maj-Gen Andrey Sukhovetsky, , Maj-Gen Vitaly Gerasimov, 44, Maj-Gen Vladimir Frolov, 54, Maj-Gen Andrei Simonov, 55, Maj-Gen Oleg Mityaev, 48, Maj-Gen Kanamat Botashev, 63, and Maj-Gen Roman Kutuzov, 53.
Several other earlier claims of high ranking officers killed in the war were not subsequently confirmed.
