20 Top Russian Commanders Have Died In Ukraine War: Report

More than a dozen high-ranking Russian commanders have died in the war in Ukraine, according to an investigative report.

Approximately 20 of the 166 commanders Russia deployed to the frontline at the start of the war have died as of mid-May, investigative outlet Proekt reported Monday. Four of the 20 who were killed were born in Ukraine, namely Nikolai Gostev of the 4th Air Force and Air Defense Army, Oleg Makovetsky of the 6th Air Force Army from the Leningrad Oblast, Lt. Gen. Mikhail Zusko of the 58th Combined Arms Army and Col. Vadim Pankov of the 45th separate Special Forces Brigade of the Russian Army.

The publication did not include the names of other commanders who were killed in the war. However, reporters for the publication noted that Russia’s brigade, division and army commanders in the war were generally around the ages of 40 to 50. District commanders, meanwhile, were aged 55 on average and branch commanders were aged 60.

"These people are the pick of the modern Russian army: men (who are) at the peak of their strength, experienced and relatively well educated," the publication said.

Proekt compiled its report using open-source materials, including reports by the media, social media posts and interviews with Russian prisoners of war. The data was then verified using other sources.

On top of the casualties amongst Russian generals, roughly 29,200 Russian soldiers have so far been killed in the Ukraine war, according to Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense.

Russia has yet to confirm the death toll among its commanders and soldiers. The Russian Ministry of Defense has only disclosed its casualties twice since the beginning of the war. On March 2, it claimed only 498 military personnel were killed. On March 25, Russia reported that 1,351 personnel died in the war, well below NATO estimates of 7,000 to 14,000 casualties.

The investigative report on the Russian death toll in the Ukraine war comes after Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykailo Podolyak ruled out a ceasefire with Russia, adding that making concessions would backfire on Ukraine.

"Today, any concession to Russia is not a path to peace, but a war postponed for several years. Ukraine trades neither its sovereignty, nor territories and Ukrainians living on them," Podolyak said in a Twitter post.