'Highly likely' that Russia has lost or fired 16 of its top generals since the start of the war in Ukraine: UK intelligence

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu were present at Navy Day on July 31, but one of the military's top-ranking generals was notably absent.

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• Russia has likely fired six top generals since the start of the Ukraine war, UK intelligence says.
• Another 10 Russian generals have been killed in the war, the Ministry of Defence said.
• The combined losses have likely led to an inconsistency in Russia's military command, it added.

Six of Russia's top generals have likely been fired since the start of the war in Ukraine, due to the Russian army's poor showing during the invasion, according to the UK's Ministry of Defence.

"The poor performance of Russia's armed forces during its invasion of Ukraine has been costly for Russia's military leadership, highly likely resulting in the dismissal of at least six Russian commanders since the start of hostilities in February 2022," the Defence Ministry said in a Sunday tweet.

At least 10 other Russian generals have been killed in Ukraine, it added.

"The cumulative effect on consistency of command is likely contributing to Russian tactical and operational difficulties," the tweet read.

The Ministry of Defence didn't reveal how it obtained this information, but pointed out the absence of one top commander from a national military parade attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin and his highest-ranked generals.

The Ministry noted that General-Colonel Aleksandr Zhuravlev, who headed Russia's Western Military District since 2018, was missing from Russia's Navy Day on July 31.

In the Russian military, the rank of general-colonel is the equivalent of a US three-star lieutenant general, and a general-lieutenant is the equivalent of a US two-star major general, according to the Institute of War.

The UK Defence Ministry also said Russian leaders had fired General Aleksandr Vladimirovich Dvornikiv — who was in command of all of Russia's operations in Ukraine — and General Gennady Valeryevich Zhidko — who once oversaw Russia's Southern Grouping of Forces.

The rank of general is the equivalent of a US four-star general. It's the highest rank currently held by any member of the Russian military, per the Institute of War.

Russian losses from the war in Ukraine are estimated to be in the tens of thousands. US officials estimated on July 28 that more than 75,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or injured — about half of the number of troops Russia initially deployed in its invasion.

In June, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy estimated that his country was losing around 100 soldiers a day. Axios later reported on July 15 that up to 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers are being killed or injured each day. 

While there have been few definitive assessments of the total casualties on either side, Insider previously cited a defense expert saying in late June that Ukraine has lost more than 18,000 troops.

The Russian offensive in Ukraine has made incremental progress since it declared a new push on March 25 into the Donbas area, according to the Institute of War. The Kremlin's forces have failed to advance into the cities of Odesa, Zaporizhia, Dnipro, and Kharkiv — major population centers on Ukraine's eastern front.

The Ministry of Defence did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

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