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Russian military officer Andrey Paliy has been killed in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, as per the posts on Russian social media.
The deceased 51-year-old, who was a commander on the Black Sea fleet, was shot and killed by Ukrainian forces near Mariupol, making him the first high-ranking Russian military official to die since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began last month.
Russian social-media user Konstantin Tsarenko, who met Paliy at the Russian Naval School in Sevastopol, posted about his death on V Kontakte, as reported by The Telegraph.
Tsarenko has since deleted the post. Igor Savostin, a former naval officer, also shared Paliy's death, according to the paper.
Andrey Paliy was one of the many commanders killed in the ongoing conflict
Originally from Kyiv, Andrey Paliy pledged allegiance to the Kremlin after the collapse of the Soviet Union. He later moved to Russia and enlisted in the navy. He served as the deputy commander of Russian forces on the Black Sea.
As part of the city's 50th birthday celebrations in 2021, the military museum for the city wrote a tribute to him. During the homage, Andrey Paliy was praised for his daring during an occasion in January 2021 when he parachuted into the freezing waters of the Black Sea.
Paliy was known for his professional skills and other qualities, such as humaneness, decency, honesty, and a keen sense of humor, according to the message.
Meanwhile, Lieutenant-General Andrey Mordvichev was another Russian general killed recently in Ukraine. Prior to Paliy, he was the fifth senior Russian leader to die since the conflict began.
Mordvichev was killed when Ukrainian forces destroyed an airfield command post in Kherson, a port city in southern Ukraine.
Mordvichev's death came just days after the death of Maj Gen Oleg Mityaev, an officer who allegedly commanded the 150th Motor Rifle Division and had served in Syria.
Three other Russian generals were allegedly killed before Mityaev, including Maj. Gens. Vitaly Gerasimov, Andrei Kolesnikov, Andrei Sukhovetsky, and Ukrainian officials.
Ukrainian defense forces killed Russian Major General Andrei Sukhovetsky in one of Russia's biggest blows. Pravda, a Kremlin-backed outlet, confirmed that Sukhovetsky was killed in Ukraine "during a special operation." According to Dan Hoffman, a former CIA officer and station chief, the news of his death is very big, if true.
As reported by the New York Times last week, US intelligence believes 7,000 Russian soldiers have already been killed during the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, a number roughly equal to total US losses in Afghanistan and Iraq over the last two decades. Ukraine is also believed to have lost thousands of soldiers during the 25-day war.
