Two colonels died on the battlefield while repelling Ukrainian attacks, the Defense Ministry has said
FILE PHOTO. © Sputnik / Evgeniy Biyatov
Two senior officers have been killed in Russia’s Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), the Defense Ministry said on Sunday. The two colonels received mortal wounds while leading the troops against a major assault by Kiev’s forces near the city of Artyomovsk (known in Ukraine as Bakhmut).
One of the officers, the commander of the 4th motorized rifle brigade, Colonel Vyacheslav Makarov, was killed near the village of Krasnoye, the ministry said in its daily briefing. The brigade’s positions were attacked by a major Ukrainian battalion-sized unit. The brigade successfully repelled two waves of attackers, but during the third assault, Makarov was mortally wounded and died during the evacuation effort.
“The servicemen of the brigade destroyed three tanks, four infantry fighting vehicles, and two armored vehicles of the Ukrainian military,” the ministry said, adding that around 200 Ukrainian soldiers were killed in the fighting.
The other senior officer, Colonel Evgeniy Brovko, a deputy army corps commander, was killed in another sector near Artyomovsk, according to the Russian military.
“During the battle to repel one of the attacks, Colonel Evgeny Brovko died heroically, having received multiple shrapnel wounds,” the ministry said.
Artyomovsk remains a major flashpoint in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, with the warring parties engaged in an intense struggle for the city for months now. The battle for the city has become known as the ‘Bakhmut meat grinder’, with both sides reportedly sustaining heavy losses.
In recent days, Kiev’s forces have reportedly ramped up their attacks in the area, putting pressure on the flanks of Russian units near Artyomovsk. The city has been largely seized by the Russian forces, spearheaded by the Wagner private military group.
