Russia tight-lipped over claims Putin’s top war commander killed in Crimea strike

Valery Gerasimov is a top war commander at the Kremlin (Picture: via REUTERS)

Russia is keeping quiet amid claims that Putin’s top war commander has been killed in a strike.

Ukrainian Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk has praised the ‘impeccable combat work’ of his crews following an attack on a Russian military command post near Sevastopol in Crimea on Thursday.

Local media is reporting that Vladimir Putin’s top war commander, General Valery Gerasimov, was killed in the strike – but it’s not yet been confirmed whether he was at the command post.

Nataliya Humenyuk, spokeswoman for the Ukrainian southern defence forces, wouldn’t confirm Gerasimov’s death, saying: ‘We are collecting the information that you are currently interested in.

‘As soon as it has appropriate confirmation, it will be made public. At the moment, we can only state what is already known – the control point has been hit.’

An explosion and smoke was seen on video from a suspected Storm Shadow strike at a military command post in Yukharin Balka.

Valery Gerasimov (second right) is a major player at the Kremlin (Picture: EPA)

‌Another military site in Crimea in the village of Uyutnoye, near Yevpatoria, in Saki district was also reportedly hit.

‌A flow of ambulances were reported by Ukrainian sources at both locations.

‌Putin-appointed Sevastopol governor Mikhail Razvozhayev said: ‘It was the most massive [attack] in recent times.’

Gerasimov has not been seen since December 29 when footage showed him presenting awards to ‘military personnel who distinguished themselves during the liberation of Marinka’ in occupied Donetsk region, Ukraine.

‌However, this week is a major Russian holiday, and he has previously disappeared from public view for long periods.

Newsweek reported: “The unverified rumour of Gerasimov’s death appears to have begun circulating after WarVehicleTracker on X, which tracks vehicles and losses in Ukraine, shared an image purporting to show a message published by a Russian Telegram channel called “Ordinary Tsarism,” which has more than 34,000 subscribers.’

‘The message said: “According to preliminary data, Valery Gerasimov, who was in a command post near Sevastopol at the time of the attack, was killed in the attack on Crimea”.’

There is currently no independent evidence that the general – a foe of slain warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin – was in Crimea, nor that he was hit in the Crimean strike.

And Russia is yet to comment on the claims.

Soon after the strike, Oleshchuk was quoted saying: ‘I once again give thanks to the [Ukrainian] Air Force pilots and everyone who planned the operation for their impeccable combat work.’

He warned that Russian propaganda may give misleading accounts of the strikes, commenting: ‘I expect the same epic report from enemy propaganda from Sevastopol and Yevpatoria on January 4 [as on earlier denials of Ukrainian strikes].’

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‘It was the most massive [attack] in recent times.’