Putin Loses His Ninth Colonel As Tank Commander Becomes Latest Senior Russian Among 19,000 Troops Killed In Ukraine War

Russian President Vladimir Putin has lost his ninth colonel in battle since launching his brutal invasion of Ukraine in February, as Moscow’s losses continue to mount up.

A funeral was held for Colonel Alexander Bespalov on Friday in the closed Russian city of Ozersk, according to a local announcement, which said he was killed ‘during a special military operation in Ukraine’ – a term used by Moscow to avoid saying ‘war’.

The statement said Bespalov was the commander of the 59th Guards Tank Regiment, and become the latest senior Russian military officer to be killed in the war that has seen Kyiv’s forces surprise exerts with their fierce resistance.

Targeted strikes against slow-moving Russian tank units have allowed Ukraine’s forces to compensate for their inferior numbers, with latest estimates from Kyiv defence officials suggesting the Kremlin has lost more than 4,000 military vehicles.

In addition, Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence estimates that Russia has sent more than 19,000 troops to their deaths. Meanwhile, thousands of Moscow’s soldiers have retreated from the Kyiv region to refocus Russia’s military efforts on eastern Ukraine.

However, a senior U.S. defence official said Friday the Pentagon has determined that some of the Russian combat units that retreated from the Kyiv area in recent days are so heavily damaged and depleted that their combat utility is in question.

Some analysts have suggested that the focus on the Donbas and the pledge to de-escalate may merely be an effort to put a positive spin on reality: Moscow’s ground forces have been thwarted – and have taken heavy losses – in their bid to seize the capital and other major cities.

The Kremlin has a policy of playing down military casualties with a 2015 decree declaring all deaths in conflict a state secret, and last year any statement discrediting the military were criminalised. Photo Credit: Getty