Russian commander of forces in Ukraine Gennady Zhydko dies in Moscow
Colonel General Gennady Zhydko, who commanded all the occupying groups in Ukraine in May-July 2022, has died in Moscow, aged 57.
Mikhail Degtyarev, governor of Russia's far-eastern Khabarovsk Krai, made this statement, stating the commander "suffered a long-lasting illness."
In 2016, Zhydko served as Russian forces chief in Syria. In 2021, he was the deputy defense minister.
In 2022, Zhydko again became the chief of the troops, replacing Aleksandr Dvornikov, another commander responsible for war crimes in Mariupol. After heavy losses on the southern front, he was dismissed from this position.
The EU imposed sanctions against Zhydko in October 2022, pledging to bring the general to justice and hold him accountable for the war crimes in Ukraine.
The commander was in charge of preparations for the possible involvement in hostilities of 17-18-year-old members of the Russian children's and youth military organization "Yunarmiya," Ukrainian intelligence reported.
