Second of Putin’s top generals killed in days as Russian troops ‘desert posts’ after ‘large-scale losses’, say Ukraine
ONE OF Vladimir Putin's top generals has been killed in fighting outside of Ukraine's second city Kharkiv, in another major blow for the Russian president.
Vitaly Gerasimov is the second Russian commander to be assassinated in the past week after Major General Andrei Sukhovetsky was killed by a Ukrainian sniper during the fighting for Hostomel Airfield about 30 miles outside the capital Kyiv.
It comes as aides close to President Putin have reportedly described his "absurd" levels of "paranoia" as the war appears to turn against him.
Kremlin officials have allegedly made "apocalyptic" predictions about the conflict in Ukraine, describing the invasion on February 24 as a "mistake".
The mood around Moscow will have been further worsened by news of the death of Major General Vitaly Gerasimov, one of Putin's top commanders.
Ukraine's Defence Ministry said Gerasimov, chief of staff of the 41st Army, was killed alongside other senior officers outside the eastern city of Kharkiv.
Gerasimov was awarded a medal for "capturing" the disputed province of Crimea in 2014, and also received medals after leading troops in Syria and in the second Chechen war.
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Yesterday, it was revealed a further three Russian commanders had been killed in heavy fighting.
Lieutenant Colonel Denis Glebov and Dmitry Safronov died in the failed defence of Chuhuiv, which was recaptured by Ukrainian forces over the weekend.
Commander Konstantin Zizevsky was killed in separate fighting in the past few days.
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Ukraine's Defence Ministry also broadcast what it claimed was an intercepted conversation between two Russian FSB officers discussing the death and complaining that their secure communications were no longer working.
"In the call, you hear the Ukraine-based FSB officer ask his boss if he can talk via the secure Era system," executive director of the investigative journalism agency Bellingcat, Christo Grozev said.
"The boss says Era is not working. Era is a super expensive cryptophone system that [Russia's defence ministry] introduced in 2021 with great fanfare.
"It [is] guaranteed [to] work 'in all conditions'."
Yesterday, leaked phone calls from Ukraine revealed many Russian soldiers were begging to go home and wanted to quit the army.
This loss of top-ranking Russian officers comes as Putin's invasion force faces logistical problems, fierce resistance, and poor morale.
Journalist Farida Rustamova claims the Russian officials and MPs she spoke to are increasingly worried about Putin's handling of the war.
Rustamova, who recently fled the country, previously worked for the BBC Russian Service, which has since been blocked in Russia.
One Kremlin official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, described the invasion as a "clusterf***".
Someone else, who Rustamova described as "a good acquaintance of Putin's," said the Russian leader's mood had gotten worse.
"Here he is in a state of being offended and insulted," they said.
"It's paranoia that has reached the point of absurdity."
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Claiming to have spoken to a number of top Russian officials, she said: "Many of them are discouraged, frightened, and are making apocalyptic forecasts."
While another source "close to the Kremlin" reportedly told her: "Many understand that this is a mistake, but in the course of doing their duty they come up with explanations in order to somehow come to terms with it."
The Ukrainian military claims that Russian forces are "deserting in some areas" of Ukraine.
They said Russia's troops are "demoralised" after suffering heavy losses in manpower and military equipment, with some leaving their posts.
"In general, the moral and psychological state of the enemy is low," the statement said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to give a "historic address" to British MPs at 5pm today.
In a video overnight, he claimed the Russians are having "a nightmare" and he isn't afraid of anyone.
This morning, the UK's Defence Secretary Ben Wallace claimed the war is "not going well" for the Russian soldiers who have been let down by "appalling leadership".
Speaking on Sky News, he claimed morale is poor among Russian troops after strategic losses and logistical problems.
"It is not going particularly well for the Russians, it's day 13 - way off their timetable," he said.
"There is a lot of casualties... probably the biggest single casualties are Russian military soldiers who have been let down by appalling leaders, appalling leadership, and appalling plans, and now you see them literally at large scales dying.
"That will be something that is interesting in the Kremlin, whether they admit to each other the failure of their aggressive and illegal invasion of Ukraine."
Russian media reports that Moscow has introduced humanitarian corridors from several Ukrainian cities from 7am GMT today.
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But heavy shelling has continued overnight in many Ukrainian cities.
At least 18 civilians including two children were killed in the eastern city of Sumy.
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