On Monday, intelligence officials in Ukraine claimed that Russian General-major Vitaly Gerasimov, the deputy commander of Russia's 41st Army ground forces, has been taken out near the city of Kharkiv.
This comes just days after previous reports that Maj. Gen. Andrei Sukhovetsky, also a deputy commander of the 41st Army, was killed by a Ukrainian sniper.
Russian General-major Vitaly Gerasimov, deputy commander of Russian 41st army, was liquidated near Kharkiv, Ukrainian Main Intelligence Directorate said. This is Russia\u2019s second general KIA within the last 11 days. https://gur.gov.ua/content/pid-kharkovom-likvidovano-heneralmaiora-rosiiskoi-armii.html\u00a0\u2026— Sergej Sumlenny (@Sergej Sumlenny) 1646690039
These generals are not the only reported losses among high-ranking Russian military officials; according to the New York Post, "A divisional commander and regimental commander died as a convoy of Russian tanks and other vehicles continued to struggle while heading for the capital city of Kyiv."
This comes as experts have broadly expressed surprise at the failure of Russian forces to take significant territory during the invasion, and speculation that the effects of the war could have disastrous consequences for Vladimir Putin's regime.