Tuesday 7 June 2022 12:34 PM Putin loses his 50th colonel of Ukraine invasion as Russian death toll 'passes ... trends now
Russia has lost its 50th colonel of the war in Ukraine in the latest hammer blow to the Kremlin, with the death toll now soaring past 31,000.
Artillery commander Lt Col Vladimir Nigmatullin, a 46-year-old father-of-three from Yekaterinburg, was killed on May 31, it has now been revealed.
Nigmatullin's death has been confirmed to his family, adding to the huge list of casualties of Russia's military leaders, with one colonel killed every two days.
It comes after Vladimir Putin lost two of his most senior commanders in a single day in a devastating bridge ambush in eastern Ukraine, a group of independent journalists claimed.
Nigmatullin's sister-in-law Marina Konyukhova said: 'Eternal memory, darling, dear, much-loved man, you passed away.
Artillery commander Lt Col Vladimir Nigmatullin has been killed in Ukraine, Russia's 50th colonel casualty of the war
Russia confirmed the death of Major-General Roman Kutuzov (pictured) on Sunday
Nigmatullin's sister-in-law Marina Konyukhova (pictured) said in a tribute he 'set an example to the Motherland'
'We still cannot believe you are gone. You are a father of three children, and an amazing husband to my sister.
'I am always proud of you, and I will always be proud. You set an example to the Motherland, so that everyone does like you did.
'You were ordered with the Order of Bravery, posthumously. You went through a lot of conflict areas.'
On Sunday, Russia confirmed the death of Major-General Roman Kutuzov.
Then yesterday it was claimed Lieutenant-General Roman Berdnikov was also killed on the same day in an attack carried out by Kyiv's forces, taking the death toll of generals to 12.
Kutuzov was the chief of staff of the 29th Combined Arms Army and was awarded a posthumous promotion to Lieutenant-General.
He died in an ambush in Donbas.
Reports said that Lieutenant-General Roman Berdnikov (pictured) was killed in Ukraine, the second Russian general to have been reported killed on the same day
Berdnikov, a former Russian commander in Syria, was 'killed in Donbas' on June 5, according to Volya Telegram channel. Pictured: Roman Berdnikov at the Victory Day military parade at Khmeimim Air Base on May 9, 2022
'He calmly walked up the career ladder, successfully commanded the troops, and died as a soldier, fighting on the front lines,' said a report by Readovka.
One mourner said: 'I knew him personally, Roman lived a hero and died a hero.
'My condolences to his loved ones, strength and patience to his subordinates and fellow officers.'
It has been suggested that the unusual speed with which Kutuzov's death was confirmed by Moscow was an attempt to cover up the loss of Berdnikov, 47.
Less than a month ago, Berdnikov was commander of the Russian armed forces task force in Syria, and he was moved to take charge of Putin's forces and those of the Donetsk People's Republic [DPR] in Donbas.
It would mean the two of the most senior Russian commanders in Donetsk were wiped out in one strike in a stunning and embarrassing setback to Putin.
A man walks among the rubble of a house following a late night military strike in Kharkiv yesterday
The claims that both Berdnikov and Kutuzov died came from the Volya Telegram channel which has independent war journalists working on both sides of the conflict.
'On the morning of June 5, Lt-Gen Roman Berdnikov, who led the Russian troops and units of the DPR from Donetsk, left with the headquarters on a working trip,' said the post. 'On the way, presumably on a bridge, the vehicles of the headquarters were attacked by a Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance group.'
Part of the convoy was 'destroyed or immobilised' but some vehicles, 'having received serious damage and firing back, were able to escape from the ambush and leave,' the post said.
'After that, our sources reported that Roman Berdnikov died in this battle,' the report continued. 'A little later, two more sources confirmed this, specifying that other senior officers could have died during the battle.'
A mercenary who gained notoriety for butchering prisoners of war and civilians in the Donbas has also been killed, it was revealed today.
Vladimir Andonov, 44, a fighter for the shadowy Wagner Group, was shot by a sniper near Kharkiv during a reconnaissance missions on June 5, Russian media says.
Vladimir a soldier with the notorious Wagner Group, was shot dead by a sniper during a reconnaissance mission near the city of Kharkiv on June 5
Andonov (left and right) was known to Ukrainians as 'the executioner' for carrying out massacres of prisoners of war and civilians during Russia's first invasion in 2014
Andonov was known to Russians as 'Vakha' or 'the volunteer from Buryatia' after the region he was from, but to Ukrainians as 'the executioner' for massacres he helped carry out during Russia's first invasion of the country in 2014.
His death was confirmed by Zhambal-Zhamso Zhanaev, head of the region where Andonov was from, who spoke to Russian newspaper Moskovskij Komsomolets.
Andonov has served in the regular Russian military from 1997 until 2005 when he moved to the city of Ulan-Ude where he studied in a teaching college.
He dropped out of school before completing his studies and got a job in trade, before answering a call for volunteers to go to Ukraine and join the fighting in 2014.
Andonov was drafted into the Olkhon special forces company fighting in the Donbas, and took part in the Battle of Debaltseve in early 2015 - one of the last major battles of the initial war.
At the time, he appeared in a video filmed in the region which became one of the first pieces of evidence that volunteers from the Buryatia were in Ukraine.
Ukraine accuses him of personally participating in the massacre of prisoners of war in the town of Logvinovo in the aftermath of the battle, and of killing civilians elsewhere in Donbas.
Meanwhile, Russia is acting to gag the media from revealing any details about
