Vladimir Putin lost his ninth general in the war in Ukraine, according to reports. Lt. Gen. Andrei Simonov, 55, was killed in fighting at Izyum near Kharkiv, the country’s second city, according to Ukrainian sources. He was Russia’s most respected cyber warfare commander, serving in the 2nd Combined Arms Army. Simonov died in a devastating Ukrainian opposition to a Russian attack. More than 30 Russian armored vehicles were reportedly destroyed. Unconfirmed reports indicate that about 100 Russian soldiers were killed in the Ukrainian attack.
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A video released by Ukrainians on social media is supposed to show the attack in which the Russian forces seem surprised and defenseless. In addition to the loss of nine generals, Putin saw 36 colonels killed in just over two months fighting. Military experts say this is an astonishing percentage of damage. Putin has sent Chief of Defense Staff General Valery Gerasimov to personally take command of the Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine. But Simonov’s death, along with 100 Russian soldiers and the reported loss of armored vehicles, signals another setback for the Kremlin leader, who aims to declare the success of his May 9 Victory Day mission in Russia. Simonov, from the Kirov region, was a graduate of the Tomsk School of Advanced Military Command and was considered Russia’s leading military expert in cyber warfare.
