Who was Denis Kurilo? Another top Russian commander killed outside Kharkiv
Ukraine's military has claimed that they have killed another Russian colonel in a blow to Putin. The Ukrainian Armed Forces announced on Tuesday, March 29, that Colonel Denis Kurilo was killed outside Kharkiv. This comes after at least six Russian generals were killed in Ukraine.
Ukrainian military has also confirmed that there have been several territorial gains, with the northeastern town of Trostyanets liberated from Russian troops. Many other areas outside Kyiv are also allegedly back in the hands of Ukraine. The territories in the Chernihiv region were also reportedly liberated, the military said.
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Who was Denis Kurilo?
Colonel Denis Kurilo was the commander of the 200th separate motorized rifle brigade. Kurilo personally led the 1st Battalion-Tactical Group of one of the most elite brigades of the Russian Army in the War of Victory against Ukraine. The invaders reportedly possessed the most modern weapons that Russia is equipped with.
Earlier this month, another military official, Andrey Paliy, 51, who was born in Kyiv but renounced Ukraine, was shot dead by Ukrainian forces near Mariupol. This made him the first Russian naval boss to die since the war began. Andrey was born in Kyiv but following the fall of the Soviet Union, he reportedly pledged his allegiance to the Kremlin. He moved to Russia and joined the navy. He may have been involved in Russia’s 2014 invasion of Crimea. He was the Deputy commander of Russia's Black Sea Fleet.
Meanwhile, another Russian general killed in Ukraine recently was Lieutenant-General Andrey Mordvichev. He was the fifth senior Russian leader to be killed since the invasion began, before Paliy. Mordvichev died when a command post at an airfield in Kherson, a port city in southern Ukraine, was destroyed by Ukrainian forces.
Mordvichev's death came just days after Maj Gen Oleg Mityaev, an officer who reportedly commanded the 150th Motor Rifle Division and had fought in Syria, was killed as Russian forces stormed Mariupol. Before Mityaev, three other Russian generals were allegedly killed namely Maj. Gens. Vitaly Gerasimov, Andrei Kolesnikov and Andrei Sukhovetsky, Ukrainian officials and some Russian media said.
Russia suffered its first major blow when Ukrainian defense forces killed Russian Maj Gen Andrei Sukhovetsky in combat. The Kremlin-backed Pravda confirmed that Sukhovetsky was killed "during a special operation in Ukraine". Talking about his death, former CIA officer and station chief Dan Hoffman said, "If it’s true, it’s big."
After Russian President Vladimir Putin deployed deadly weapons and also began considering nuclear options, it was speculated that he was afraid of losing the war. Russian troops became bogged down after an attempt to surround Kharkiv was in vain, with Ukrainian soldiers launching a scathing counter-attack on Russian armored vehicles by using British anti-tank missiles.
Russia has in fact given Ukrainian forces until 5 am Moscow time (02:00 GMT) on March 21 to surrender in the eastern port city of Mariupol but Kyiv has rejected the demand. Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said early on March 21 that there is no question of Ukraine giving up the city of Mariupol and laying down arms. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has also appealed to Israel for help in pushing back Russia's assault.
Turkish officials say Moscow and Kyiv were close to reaching an agreement on key points but a top Ukrainian aide said Russia had turned to “more destructive artillery." Russia earlier said its forces used hypersonic “Kinzhal" missiles for a second time to hit Ukrainian targets.