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Aug. 17 2023, Published 2:00 p.m. ET
A Russian general previously dismissed from the military due to his failings in Ukraine died this week under mysterious and sudden circumstances, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Colonel General Gennady Zhidko, 57, died on Wednesday after a “long illness.”
Zhidko reportedly served as a top Russian Army commander until he was dismissed by Vladimir Putin in October 2022 after Moscow suffered a devastating series of setbacks in their conflict against Ukraine.
The late Russian general served as commander of Russia’s Eastern Military District before he was dismissed by Putin in October, and he also reportedly once served as Russia’s deputy minister of defense.
Mikhail Degtyarev, the governor of Khabarovsk Krai, confirmed Zhidko’s sudden and mysterious death in a Telegram post on Wednesday.
“I was lucky to know this man, very attentive to the needs of a simple soldier and very diligent in service. It is these commanders who are called commanders,” Degtyarev wrote.
He continued, “In Syria, Gennady Valerievich led the headquarters of the grouping of our troops, in Khabarovsk, he served as commander of the troops of the Eastern Military District, in Moscow – Deputy Minister of Defense of Russia.”
“Eternal memory to the Hero, God rest his soul,” Degtyarev added before confirming that Zhidko died “after a long illness.”
According to Newsweek, Zhidko’s dismissal last year came after Ukraine launched a series of successful counteroffensives both in the southern city of Kherson and in the northeastern Kharkiv region.
The counteroffensive reportedly saw Ukraine’s forces recapture swathes of territory that Russia had previously seized in the war.
Putin replaced Zhidko with General Sergei Surovikin.
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Zhidko’s passing this week marked just the latest Russian official to die under sudden and mysterious circumstances since Putin’s war against Ukraine started in February 2022.
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So far, more than 40 high-profile Russians have died under mysterious circumstances – including oligarchs, scientists, military generals, and Kremlin officials.
Many of the deceased reportedly died shortly after criticizing both Putin and his ongoing war against Ukraine.
Meanwhile, another Russian general – General Gennady Lopyrev, 69 – was found dead under equally mysterious circumstances just hours after General Zhidko’s passing.
Russian sources suggested Lopyrev died from leukemia, although his exact cause of death has not yet been determined.
“I spoke to the chief of their medical unit, who said his heart check returned normal, and lungs were clear,” Lopyrev’s son said on Thursday. “It is hard to say what exactly happened. We were getting ready to apply for his parole because it was time.”
“And now this call to say he had died,” the deceased Russian general’s son continued. “It’s all very strange, and way too fast.”
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