Vladimir Putin loses 57th colonel since start of Ukraine conflict

40-year-old Lieutenant Colonel Pavel Kislyakov has become the 57th known Russian colonel that Vladimir Putin has lost in Ukraine.

Lieutenant Colonel Pavel Kislyakov was buried today, Thursday, June 30. The 40-year-old officer is Russian president Vladimir Putin’s 57th known colonel to die since the war began on February 24 in Ukraine. He was reportedly buried in his home town somewhere near Moscow, with full military honours.

Losing such a high number of top-ranking officers in any conflict is humiliating, but Putin has seen his higher ranks decimated in his ‘special operation’. No details have been released regarding Pavel Kislyakov’s location at the time of his death. He was known to have been in command of a prestigious unit of paratroopers, according to dailymail.co.uk.

Since the war with Ukraine started, Putin has lost at least 11 of his generals. Given the Kremlin’s tendency to hide actual death tolls, this is a figure which could be a lot higher.

Since the invasion began, Russia is estimated by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to have lost up to 35,600 military personnel, as well as 790 artillery units.

They also claim to have destroyed 217 aircraft, 185 helicopters, 1,573 tanks, 14 warships, 3,726 armoured combat vehicles, 143 cruise missiles, 246 multiple launch rocket systems, 641 drones, 2,602 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 104 air defence systems.

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