A leading Russian general purged by Vladimir Putin has been found dead.

Colonel General Gennady Zhidko, 58, died after a ‘lengthy illness’ on August 16, 2023, according to Russian online news outlet Readovka.

Zhidko briefly led the invasion of Ukraine as commander of the Southern Grouping of Forces before giving way to General Sergei ‘Armageddon’ Surovikin in October. … Zhidko was ousted from his role in Ukraine in October 2022 – as commander of Putin’s ‘special military operation’ – after the failure to grab the city of Kharkiv.

[Those who fail Putin seem to fall victim to ‘illness’ and failing windows, don’t they? A friend of mine came up with “defenestroika” to describe the phenomenon, and has graciously allowed me to steal it. — Ed]