Russian Reporters Claim Forces Bombed Ukraine Command Center, Killing Top Officials

Russian forces have allegedly bombed a Ukrainian command center where high-ranking officials were located as part of an effort to prevent Kyiv from launching its anticipated spring offensive, several milbloggers reported.

The missile strike allegedly hit the Ukrainian command post in Chasiv Yar in Donetsk Oblast on May 10, killing Ukrainian Chief Advisor to the Directorate for Domestic and Humanitarian Alexei Titarenko. The strike was first reported by Russian milbloggers on Telegram, including pro-war blogger Boris Rozhin.

"In the DPR, the chief adviser to the Zelensky Office was liquidated," Rozhin wrote in the post. "Alexei Titarenko was the chief consultant of the Directorate for Domestic and Humanitarian Policy. The details of his liquidation in Donbas have not yet been officially disclosed."

In addition to Titarenko, the reports speculated that the strike may have also killed Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces General Valery Zaluzhnyi. The bloggers later backtracked speculations on the commander's death and said the strike may have just affected his decisions to attend public events.

Hanna Malyar, Ukraine's Deputy Defense Minister, has since responded to claims made by the Russians and said all Ukrainian generals and commanders mentioned are still alive. She added that the claims made by the Russian media are part of an effort aimed at reducing the morale of Ukraine's army ahead of Kyiv's planned counteroffensive.

"Information about the alleged liquidation of our commanders is being spread in the Russian infofield. All are alive," she wrote in a Telegram post.

The claims come as Russia continues to be unsuccessful in its offensive operations in the embattled city of Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast. In contrast, Ukrainian troops on Wednesday broke through Russian positions in Bakhmut and forced Russian units back.

Ukraine's gains in the city were not large, but it was the first time Kyiv successfully advanced its position in the city in the past two months. The Russian Defense Ministry has yet to comment on Ukraine's recent gains.

The battle in Bakhmut has been raging on for about 11 months, with Russia's infamous Wagner group at the forefront of the attacks on the city.