Deputy Russian army commander killed in Ukraine: Official

The deputy commander of Russia’s 14th Army Corps, Major-General Vladimir Zavadsky, has been killed in Ukraine, a top regional official confirmed.

Zavadsky died “at a combat post in the special operation zone”, Alexander Gusev, the governor of Russia’s Voronezh region, said on Monday without providing any further details.

The “special military operation” is the term Russia uses to describe the war in Ukraine, which it launched in February 2022.

Gusev paid tribute to Zavadsky, calling him “a courageous officer, a real general and a worthy man”.

Zavadsky’s death marked the seventh major-general confirmed dead by Russia, making him the 12th senior officer reported deceased since the onset of the war, investigative news outlet iStories reported.

Fighting ongoing

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Ukrainian authorities reported that their military successfully downed 10 out of 17 attack drones launched by Russia overnight.

According to the governor of Ukraine’s Lviv region, three drones targeted unspecified infrastructure, causing minimal damage with no reported casualties.

Kyiv’s air force stated the drones were intercepted across “various regions”. Simultaneously, six S-300 missiles were reportedly launched at civilian targets in eastern Donetsk and southern Kherson.

At the same time, Russian officials claimed their forces neutralised at least 35 Ukrainian drones.

“An attempt by the Kyiv regime to commit a terrorist attack with aerial drones … was foiled last night,” the Russian Ministry of Defence said in a statement on Tuesday, adding that “22 Ukrainian drones were destroyed and 13 others were intercepted over the Sea of Azov and Crimea”.

“A new attack attempt by the Kyiv regime” on Tuesday morning saw four Ukrainian drones shot down and two intercepted over the Sea of Azov, the ministry said in a separate statement.

The Crimean Peninsula, annexed by Russia in 2014, serves as the headquarters for Russia’s Black Sea Fleet and a vital supply route for their forces in southern and eastern Ukraine. The region is frequently subject to attacks from Ukrainian forces.