Another general: Commander of Russia’s 49th Army killed by Ukrainian Armed Forces, says Arestovych

Olena Roshchina — Friday, 25 March 2022, 14:49

Photo caption: Yakov Rezantsev, photo courtesy of Zvezda

The Armed Forces of Ukraine have killed Lieutenant General Yakov Rezantsev, Commander of Russia’s 49th Army, at Chornobaivka, near Kherson.

Source: Oleksiy Arestovych, advisor to Andrii Yermak, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, at a briefing on 25 March, video on Channel 24

Quote: "Our troops, we can now say for sure, have killed Lieutenant General Yakov Vladimirovich Rezantsev, Commander of the 49th Combined Arms Army of the Southern Military District of the Russian Federation. And this happened – this is going to make you laugh a lot – at the Chornobaivka airfield."

Details: Arestovych noted that the advance command post of Russia’s 7th Air Assault Division is also located at Chornobaivka airfield.

Note: The 49th Combined Arms Army of the Russian Federation is based in Stavropol. Yakov Rezantsev became its commander in August 2020. At one time he fought in Syria.

Reminder: According to the Ukrainian side, five or six of Russia’s senior officers, including major generals and a lieutenant general, have been killed in Ukraine between 24 February and 21 March.

They are Andrei Sukhovetsky (the only high-ranking officer whose death has been confirmed in Russia), Vitaly Gerasimov, Andrei Kolesnikov, Andrei Mordvichev, Magomed Tushayev and reportedly Oleg Mityaev.

Retired US Army General David Petraeus suggested that Russia is losing generals in Ukraine because the communications with their subordinates are not working, and they have to get out of their armoured vehicles to find out what’s going on and give instructions - and then they are picked off by snipers. 

More on this story: The Russian generals killed fighting in Ukraine. How they served, where they fought, and what they were worth to the Kremlin