Russian General Killed After Using Unsecured Phone

NATO officials have confirmed three Russian generals are among the estimated 7,000 Russian military members to die in Ukraine—"a shocking number," former US ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul tells the New York Times. And Ukrainian officials reported the death of a fourth general on Wednesday. Maj. Gen. Oleg Mityaev was killed Tuesday near Mariupol, an advisor to Ukraine's Interior Ministry said. The advisor, Anton Gerashchenko, shared a photo of what he said was Mityaev's body, per Insider. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky seemed to refer to it Tuesday, saying "one more general is among the killed invaders."

Maj. Gen. Andrei Sukhovetsky was reportedly killed by a sniper on March 3, per the BBC; Maj. Gen. Vitaly Gerasimov was killed near Kharkiv on March 7; and Maj. Gen. Andrey Kolesnikov was killed on March 11. In one case, "the Ukrainians intercepted a general's call, geolocated it, and attacked his location, killing him and his staff," US military officials tell the Times, noting many generals are using unsecured phones and radios. Ukraine released audio purportedly of Russian soldiers discussing Gerasimov's death and complaining of problems with their secure communications network, the BBC reports.

Ukrainian military intelligence special operations forces are specifically hunting Russia’s officer class, per the Wall Street Journal, with what appears to be great success. There were thought to be 20 Russian generals in Ukraine, meaning 20% of them have reportedly been killed. "Losses like this affect morale and unit cohesion, especially since these soldiers don't understand why they're fighting," Evelyn Farkas, the top Pentagon official for Russia and Ukraine under President Obama, tells the Times. "Your overall situational awareness decreases." Russian President Vladimir Putin has only acknowledged the death of Sukhovetsky, but experts believe Russians will come to understand the true toll of the war as virtual private networks allow some to sidestep censorship efforts. (More Russia-Ukraine war stories.)