Latest news with #HeroofRussia
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
New Ground Forces commander-in-chief appointed in Russia
Colonel General Andrei Mordvichev, who was awarded the title of Hero of Russia for the occupation of the Ukrainian town of Avdiivka, has been appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Ground Forces. Source: Russian Ministry of Defence on Telegram Details: Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov said that Mordvichev is an "experienced combat officer" who "fully revealed his talent as a military commander during a special military operation [as the Russians call the war against Ukraine – ed.]". Notably, in March 2022, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that Mordvichev had been killed. For reference: According to the Russian agency Interfax, prior to this appointment, Mordvichev commanded the Centre Group of Forces. It was officially reported that in February 2024, under his command, this group occupied Avdiivka. Mordvichev was reportedly born on 14 January 1976 in Pavlodar (Kazakhstan). In 1997, he graduated from the Novosibirsk Higher Military Command School, and in 2006, from the General Military Academy of the Russian Armed Forces. After graduating from the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces in 2016, he was appointed deputy corps commander. From 2017 to 2019, Mordvichev was chief of staff and first deputy commander of the Central Military District. From 2019 to 2021, he was chief of staff and first deputy commander of the 8th Combined Arms Army of the Southern Military District, commander of the 8th Army from 2021 to 2022, and deputy commander of the entire Southern Military District from 2022 to 2023. In 2023, Mordvichev was appointed commander of the Central Military District. Background: On 15 May, it became known that Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin had dismissed General Oleg Salyukov from his post as commander-in-chief of the Russian Ground Forces and appointed him deputy secretary of the Russian Security Council. Salyukov had commanded the Russian Ground Forces since May 2014. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Daily Mirror
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
Major blow for Putin as his most decorated sniper is killed on Ukraine frontline
Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to honour one of his soldiers who was considered the 'legend of sniping' - Vitaly Shapovalov, 51, has been buried with full military honours Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin has lost one of his most famous snipers after he was killed in the war in Ukraine, with the leader expected to honour the fighter. Guards Senior Warrant Officer Vitaly Shapovalov, 51, has been described as the "legend of sniping" following his death. The soldier died in the city of Chasiv Yar, which is located in the Donetsk region. It remains unclear how he died. Putin, 72, has buried the popular sniper with full military honours. The president is set to name him as a Hero of Russia, which is the Kremlin's highest award. According to his obituary in Special Purpose Channel, Shapovalov was a 'legend of sniping in army circles, who raised more than one generation of snipers, some of whom became Heroes of Russia." He was also described as "an honest, fair and open person….with colossal combat experience.' Shapovalov had a string of awards for bravery. Earlier he had five tours of duty in Russia's Chechen War, each lasting six months. He also operated as a sniper with Putin's forces in Syria, serving for a total of two years. At the time, he said: 'I saw a tank coming out from behind the building, and the commander was giving orders while walking alongside the vehicle. Apparently he was giving orders to the mechanic, so I shot him. After that the mechanic decided to get out to see what happened and where to go. I shot him as well, then the gunner actually ran away.' He had been a sniper for almost a quarter of a century, according to reports. On Sunday, Russia launched one of its most intense drone attacks on Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion in 2022. Ukraine's air force said that Russia released a total of 273 exploding drones and decoys overnight. Of those, 88 were intercepted and a further 128 lost, likely having been electronically jammed. The attacks targeted the country's Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk regions. According to Kyiv regional governor Mykola Kalashnyk, a 28-year-old woman was killed in a drone attack on the region and three other people, including a four-year-old child, were wounded. The number of drones fired exceeds Russia's previous largest known single drone attack of the war, when Russia pounded Ukraine with 267 drones on the eve of the war's third anniversary. The barrage came after the first direct talks between Moscow and Kyiv in years on Friday failed to yield a ceasefire. Putin spurned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky 's offer to meet face-to-face in Turkey after he himself proposed direct negotiations, although not at the presidential level, as an alternative to a 30-day ceasefire urged by Ukraine and its western allies, including the US. US President Donald Trump said he plans to speak by phone on Monday to Putin, followed by Zelensky and leaders of various Nato countries, about ending the war in Ukraine.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
New head of Russian land forces distinguished himself in Ukraine
(Reuters) - A colonel general dubbed "General Breakthrough" for distinguishing himself in key battles in Moscow's more than three-year-old war in Ukraine has been appointed head of Russia's land forces, the daily Rossiiskaya Gazeta said on Friday. The government daily said Andrei Mordvichev was born in 1976 in what was then Soviet Kazakhstan and last year was decorated as a Hero of Russia, the country's highest award. Mordvichev, previously head of the Central Military District, commanded operations that led to the 2022 surrender of Ukrainian units holding out in the Azovstal steelworks after a siege of about 80 days in the southern port of Mariupol. In 2024, he led Russian troops capturing the mining centre of Avdiivka in Donetsk region on the war's eastern front, a key operation in a town where Ukrainian authorities had for years built up fortifications. Rossiiskaya Gazeta said he also led Russian forces in retaking three key towns in their slow advance westward through Donetsk region - Selydove, Kurakhove and Ukrainsk. Earlier in his career, he had also taken part in conflicts in Syria. Mordvichev takes over from army general Oleg Salyukov, replaced as head of ground forces on Thursday by a decree signed by President Vladimir Putin. Salyukov, 69, was appointed deputy secretary of the Security Council, the Kremlin's top consultative body, chaired by Putin, and which is responsible for managing and integrating national security policy.
Straits Times
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
New head of Russian land forces distinguished himself in Ukraine
New head of Russian land forces distinguished himself in Ukraine A colonel general dubbed "General Breakthrough" for distinguishing himself in key battles in Moscow's more than three-year-old war in Ukraine has been appointed head of Russia's land forces, the daily Rossiiskaya Gazeta said on Friday. The government daily said Andrei Mordvichev was born in 1976 in what was then Soviet Kazakhstan and last year was decorated as a Hero of Russia, the country's highest award. Mordvichev, previously head of the Central Military District, commanded operations that led to the 2022 surrender of Ukrainian units holding out in the Azovstal steelworks after a siege of about 80 days in the southern port of Mariupol. In 2024, he led Russian troops capturing the mining centre of Avdiivka in Donetsk region on the war's eastern front, a key operation in a town where Ukrainian authorities had for years built up fortifications. Rossiiskaya Gazeta said he also led Russian forces in retaking three key towns in their slow advance westward through Donetsk region - Selydove, Kurakhove and Ukrainsk. Earlier in his career, he had also taken part in conflicts in Syria. Mordvichev takes over from army general Oleg Salyukov, replaced as head of ground forces on Thursday by a decree signed by President Vladimir Putin. Salyukov, 69, was appointed deputy secretary of the Security Council, the Kremlin's top consultative body, chaired by Putin, and which is responsible for managing and integrating national security policy. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Putin appoints general who led Mariupol assault as new Russian Ground Forces Commander
Russian President Vladimir Putin has appointed Colonel General Andrey Mordvichev, who led the assault on Mariupol in 2022, as the Commander of the Russian Ground Forces, Russian state-controlled media reported on May 15. The appointment comes amid media reports claiming that Russia is preparing a major new offensive in Ukraine despite ongoing peace efforts led by the U.S. Mordvichev was a commander of the 8th Guards Combined Arms Army of Russia's Southern Military District, which was heavily involved in the devastating 2022 siege of Mariupol which killed tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilians, according to Kyiv. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) in September 2022 said that while stationed in Mariupol, Mordvichev reportedly met with Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov to approve plans for the final assault on the city, including the encirclement and storming of Azovstal, where Ukrainian troops and civilians were sheltering. Under Mordvichev's command, Russian troops carried out the destruction of civilian infrastructure and committed atrocities against both civilians and the Ukrainian military, the SBU said. It also found that Mordvichev has been directly involved in other areas of Russia's full-scale invasion, including the coordination of Russian forces in the Donetsk Oblast. It was also reported that Putin personally praised him and awarded him the title of Hero of Russia for the capture of Avdiivka on March 28, 2024. Mordvichev has been notified of suspicion under part 3 of Art. 110 (encroachment on Ukraine's territorial integrity and inviolability resulting in deaths and other grave consequences), part 2 of Art. 437 (waging an aggressive war), part 2 of Art. 28 (committing a crime by a group of individuals in prior conspiracy) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. Mordvichev will replace General Oleg Saliukov, who was appointed as deputy secretary of the Security Council on May 15. Saliukov, who turns 70 on May 21, had led Russia's Ground Forces and the Moscow Garrison since 2014, according to Radio Liberty. Known for overseeing annual Victory Day parades on Red Square from 2014 through 2025, he is currently under Western sanctions for his role in Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. His retirement from active military service had been expected this month under Russian law, which mandates retirement at age 70 unless a special exemption is granted. Sergei Shoigu, Russia's former defense minister, has headed the Security Council since May 2024 and now has several deputies, including Saliukov. Read also: Ukraine 'lost contact' with F-16 during combat, pilot ejected, Air Force says We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
