Major General Andrei Simonov reportedly died after his command post came under artillery fire by Ukrainian forces on Saturday April 30. The bombardment also took out more than 30 Russian armoured vehicles, including tanks. Videos circulating on social media appeared to show the command post being hit by Grad rockets, fired from a multiple-launch rocket system.

Presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych said in an interview that some 100 Russian servicemen were also killed in the rocket attack.

The rate at which the Kremlin is losing senior commanders appears to be setting new records in modern military history.

Foreign correspondent Ian Birrell noted in a tweet: “Russia is losing one general a week on average in Putin’s disastrous war, which must be an almost unprecedented rate of attrition for such senior officers.”