Revealed: Russian commander 'has DIED after being run over with a tank by his own mutinous troops' as Western officials say Ukraine has disabled 20 BATTALIONS - but warn Putin is assembling 10 more as he goes 'all in' behind 'botched' invasion
- Russian brigade commander in Ukraine - Colonel Yuri Medvedev - said to have been killed by his own troops
- Western officials said the mutiny was down to the scale of losses being suffered by his brigade in Ukraine
- 20 out of Putin's 120 battalions stationed in or around the country said to have been rendered inoperative
By JAMES TAPSFIELD, POLITICAL EDITOR FOR MAILONLINE and STEPHEN WYNN-DAVIES FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 02:28 AEDT, 26 March 2022 | UPDATED: 12:53 AEDT, 26 March 2022
A Russian brigade commander in Ukraine has died after being run down with a tank by his own mutinous troops, it was revealed today.
Western officials believe Colonel Yuri Medvedev was brutally taken out after his 37th Motor Rifle Brigade suffered huge losses.
A lieutenant general commanding the 49th Combined Arms Army has also died in the fighting - the seventh to perish in the war.
News of Colonel Medvedev's fate - backed by recent footage of the extraordinary episode - came amid claims that 20 of the 120 battalions massed by Vladimir Putin have been rendered inoperative by Ukraine's staunch resistance.
However, Putin is said to be assembling at least 10 more to shore up his army, with officials warning that shows he is going 'all in' behind his 'botched' invasion - and could be preparing to launch a chemical attack to turn the tide.
A Western official said Russia's failure to organise so far has been 'remarkable', pouring scorn on claims today that it had achieved the main military objectives.
They said that losses had been 'really high' in some areas. At the outset 115-120 battalion tactical groups were in the Russian force, but 20 battalions were now not thought to be 'combat effective' and had been withdrawn, either because repairs were needed to vehicles or because of massive losses.
In some instances three battalions had been merged together to redeploy.
The official said of Colonel Medvedev: 'He was killed by his own troops we believe as a consequence of the scale of losses that had been taken by his brigade,' they added. 'That gives an insight into some of the morale challenges the Russian forces are having.'
The official added that the colonel appeared to have been run down using a tank. 'We believe he was killed by his own troops deliberately,' they said.
The comments came after footage allegedly showed Colonel Medvedev being stretchered into a hospital after suffering severe injuries to his legs.
The episode has echoes of 'Fragging' during the Vietnam War - when soldiers would take out hated officers by throwing grenades into their tents.
Pictured: A still grab from a video allegedly showing Russian Colonel Yuri Medvedev being stretchered into a hospital after suffering severe injuries to his legs. A Ukrainian journalist has claimed that Medvedev was run over by a tank driven by his own soldier
Western officials fear that Vladimir Putin is generating new battalions and is going 'all-in- behind his botched invasion
Western officials said Putin appears to be generating 10 more battalion tactical groups 'maybe more' to shore up his forces, in a sign that the Russian dictator is going 'all in'.
'If we think that 115-120 plus at least another 10 maybe more come in, that's a pretty significant slice of the Russian combat mass being taken for this operation.
'It does give the indication of how 'all-in' Putin is in terms of this operation.'
There are rising concerns that an increasingly desperate Russia could use chemical weapons.
Western officials believe Russia would try to organise a 'chemical false flag operation'.
'If they still run true to type I expect it to be pretty well botched,' the official said adding that NATO should be able to 'expose the truth of what happens'.
Ukrainian journalist Roman Tsymbaliuk said in a Facebook post on Tuesday that Colonel Medvedev's tank battalion of 1,500 troops had lost around half its strength to either death or injury.
'A soldier, choosing a convenient moment during the battle, ran over his brigade commander, Colonel Yuri Medvedev, with a tank, injuring both his legs,' Tsimbalyuk wrote in his report to his followers.
'Medvedev is in a hospital in Belarus and has already been awarded the Order of Courage.' He said the Colonel is now awaiting compensation.
There was no independent corroboration of the claim, but a video released by Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov - a close ally of Vladimir Putin - allegedly showed Medvedev being transported by medical troops to Belarus for hospital treatment.
One Chechen fighter - who are fighting under the Russian National Guard and directly under Putin's control - told him: 'Hold on…how are you? OK? Talk to us…
Medvedev replied: 'I'm OK. Where are you from?'
There was no independent corroboration of the claim, but a video (pictured) released by Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov - a close ally of Vladimir Putin - allegedly showed Medvedev being transported by medical troops to Belarus for hospital treatment
A man flees with his belongings after artillery bombardment by Russian forces in the northeastern city of Kharkiv today
According to Roman Tsymbaliuk (pictured), who was said to have been the last Ukrainian journalist in Russia before fleeing the country in January, Medvedev was run over by one of his own soldiers who was angered by heavy losses suffered by the unit
The video allegedly showing Medvedev being transported by medical troops to Belarus for hospital treatment was posted by the head of the Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov
The colonel was then told to keep wearing his bulletproof jacket, before being unloaded on a stretcher, with blankets covering his legs.
Tsimbalyuk did not say what happened to the soldier driving the tank, but the report follows several others suggesting low morale among Putin's forces who have been making little progress in Ukraine.
NATO estimated on Wednesday that 7,000 to 15,000 Russian soldiers have been killed in four weeks of war in Ukraine, where ferocious fighting by the country's fast-moving defenders has denied Moscow the lightning victory it sought.
By way of comparison, Moscow lost about 15,000 soldiers in Afghanistan over 10 years.
A senior NATO military official said the alliance's estimate was based on information from Ukrainian officials, what Russia has released - intentionally or not - and intelligence gathered from open sources. The official spoke on condition of anonymity under ground rules set by NATO.
When Russia unleashed its invasion February 24 in Europe's biggest offensive since World War II, a swift toppling of Ukraine's democratically elected government seemed likely.
But with Wednesday marking four full weeks of fighting, Russia is bogged down in a grinding military campaign.
Pictured: A charred Russian tank and captured tanks are seen, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in the Sumy region, Ukraine, March 7, 2022
Locals walk on a street between anti-tank Czech hedgehogs in the South Ukrainian city of Odesa, 16 March 2022
With its ground forces repeatedly slowed or stopped by hit-and-run Ukrainian units armed with Western-supplied weapons, Putin's troops are bombarding targets from afar, falling back on the tactics they used in reducing cities to ruins in Syria and Chechnya.
Russia has released very little information on its casualties, saying March 2 that nearly 500 soldiers had been killed and almost 1,600 wounded.
However, a NATO official said today that 30,000 to 40,000 Russian soldiers are estimated to have been killed or wounded.
Ukraine also claims to have killed six Russian generals. Russia acknowledges just one dead general.
The figures from NATO represent the alliance's first public estimate of Russian casualties since the war began.
The U.S. government has largely declined to provide public estimates of Russian or Ukrainian casualties, saying available information is of questionable reliability.
With casualties mounting and quick victory no longer in sight, Russia is having to work to suppress dissent and shore up morale.
It has arrested thousands of antiwar protesters and cracked down on the media.
Service members of pro-Russian troops in uniforms without insignia are seen atop of a tank during Ukraine-Russia conflict outside the separatist-controlled town of Volnovakha in the Donetsk region, Ukraine March 15, 2022
Also, under a law passed Wednesday, troops in Ukraine will get the same benefits as veterans of previous wars, including tax breaks, discounts on utilities and preferential access to medical treatment.
In an apparent reflection of growing divisions in Russia's top echelons, top official Anatoly Chubais has resigned, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told the Interfax news agency.
Chubais, the architect of Russia's post-Soviet privatisation campaign, had served at a variety of top official jobs over three decades. His latest role was as Putin's envoy to international organisations.
Peskov would not say if Chubais had left the country.
Western officials say Putin's forces are facing serious shortages of food, fuel and cold weather gear, with soldiers suffering frostbite, while Ukraine's defenders have been going more on the offensive - preparing to reclaim lost territory.
Still, Russia's far stronger, bigger military has many Western military experts warning against overconfidence in Ukraine's long-term odds.
The Kremlin's practice in past wars has been to grind down resistance with strikes that flattened cities, killing countless civilians and sending millions fleeing.
Talks to end the fighting have continued by video. Zelensky said negotiations with Russia are going 'step by step, but they are going forward.'
With no peace, those not yet fighting prepared to do so.
'Everything's a best-seller these days,' said Zakhar Sluzhalyy, who owns a gun shop in the western city of Lviv. 'We're defending our land,' he said. 'We're fighting for our freedom and that of the rest of Europe.'
Putin on the run? Russia will now scale back its Ukraine invasion to just ‘liberating’ the eastern Donbas region 'in an attempt to save face'
Ukraine has disabled 20 Russian battalions, Western officials said today, as a Kremlin army chief hinted that Moscow may scale back its all-out attack on its neighbour and instead focus on 'liberating' the eastern Donbas region.
Russia's defence ministry also updated its losses in Ukraine to 1,351 soldiers, adding that 3,825 soldiers had been wounded - figures that are far lower than Western intelligence estimates that put Moscow's losses in the tens of thousands.
In a military update today, Moscow attempted to put a positive spin on its disastrous invasion saying that the first phase of its military campaign in Ukraine was over.
But the update - combined with the West's claim that Russia has lost 20 out of the 120 battalions originally massed on Ukraine's border - is the latest sign that Vladimir Putin has rolled back his ambitions, and is on the run.
But despite the apparent change in tactics, smaller-scale strikes continued without pause as Russia, suffering heavy losses and meagre progress against key targets, pursues its relentless campaign of bombardment against Ukraine's cities.
In one attack on Friday, Ukraine said a Russian missile attack had hit a military command centre in the city of Vinnytsia in central Ukraine. Kyiv officials reported the attack on Friday, adding it was unknown if there were any casualties.
'Today at around 4.30 p.m, the Russian occupiers launched a missile strike on the territory of the Air Force Command in Vinnytsia,' the Ukrainian Air Force said on Telegram.
It posted an image of the alleged centre in rubble and said missiles had hit 'several buildings, causing significant damage to infrastructure'.
Ukraine has disabled 20 Russian battalions, Western officials said today, as a Kremlin army chief hinted that Moscow may scale back its all-out attack on its neighbour and instead focus on 'liberating' the eastern Donbas region. Pictured: (L-R) Sergei Rudskoi, a senior representative of the General Staff, Defence Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov and Mikhail Mizintsev, head of the Russian National Defence Control Centre, hold a briefing on Russian military action in Ukraine, in Moscow on March 25, 2022
Russia's defence ministry also updated its losses in Ukraine to 1,351 soldiers, adding that 3,825 soldiers had been wounded - figures that are far lower than Western intelligence estimates that put Moscow's losses in the tens of thousands
(L-R) Sergei Rudskoi, a senior representative of the General Staff, Defence Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov and Mikhail Mizintsev, head of the Russian National Defence Control Centre, hold a briefing on Russian military action in Ukraine, in Moscow on March 25, 2022
When Russia unleashed its multi-pronged invasion on February 24, a swift toppling of Ukraine and its democratically elected government seemed likely.
But as Wednesday marked four full weeks of fighting, Russia has been bogged down in a grinding military campaign with no sign of progress.
The slow Russian advance has seemingly taken the Kremlin by surprise, and Western officials have said that Moscow made a 'catastrophic miscalculation'.
In a potentially significant shift in Moscow's tactics, Sergei Rudskoi, chief of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff of Russia's armed forces, said the first phase of its campaign was over and its troops would now focus on the 'liberation' of the Donbas region in Ukraine's east.
Rudskoi said the shift was possible because 'the combat potential of Ukraine's armed forces has been significantly reduced which allows (us) - I emphasise once again - to focus our main efforts on achieving the main goal - the liberation of Donbas.'
The Donbas is the largely Russian-speaking eastern part of the country where Russian-backed separatists have been fighting Ukrainian forces since 2014 and where many residents have expressed support for Moscow.
In the eight years of fighting, at least 14,000 people have been killed in the region.
Rudskoi claimed Russian forces had 'practically' destroyed Ukraine's air force and anti-aircraft defences as well as the navy.
But Rudskoi's comments were contradicted by Ukraine and Britain's Ministry of Defence, which said Russian forces were being pushed back.
'Ukrainian counter-attacks, and Russian forces falling back on overextended supply lines, has allowed Ukraine to re-occupy towns and defensive positions up to 35 kilometres (22 miles) east of Kyiv,' Britain's defence ministry said in a daily update.
A Ukrainian soldier passes by a destroyed Russian artillery system 'Grad', in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 24, 2022. But the update - combined with the West's claim that Russia has lost 20 out of the 120 battalions originally massed on Ukraine's border - is the latest sign that Vladimir Putin has rolled back his ambitions, and is on the run
In one attack on Friday, Ukraine said a Russian missile attack had hit a military command centre in the city of Vinnytsia in central Ukraine. Kyiv officials reported the attack on Friday, adding it was unknown if there were any casualties. The Ukrainian air force posted an image (pictured) of the alleged centre in rubble and said missiles had hit 'several buildings, causing significant damage to infrastructure'
In the south, logistical problems and Ukrainian resistance are slowing the Russians as they look to drive west toward the port of Odesa, the ministry added.
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba indicated no let-up in his country's refusal to accede to Russian demands after what he termed 'very difficult' talks with Moscow.
'We insist, first of all, on a ceasefire, security guarantees, and territorial integrity of Ukraine,' he said.
And while Mariupol and other places are now charred ruins, Western systems including shoulder-fired anti-tank missiles have helped Ukraine's armed forces hold their line - and increasingly to go on the offensive.
A Western official said Russia's failure to organise so far has been 'remarkable', pouring scorn on the claims that it had achieved the main military objectives.
They said that losses had been 'really high' in some areas. At the outset 115-120 battalion tactical groups were in the Russian force, but 20 battalions were now not thought to be 'combat effective' and had been withdrawn, either because repairs were needed to vehicles or because of massive losses.
In some instances three battalions had been merged together to redeploy.
A Russian battalion typically consists of approximately 600 to 800 officers and soldiers, 200 of which are infantrymen equipped with around 10 tanks and 40 infantry fighting vehicles - such as armoured troop carriers.
A NATO official estimated on Wednesday that 7,000 to 15,000 Russian soldiers have been killed in four weeks of war in Ukraine, and added that between 30,000 to 40,000 Russian soldiers are estimated to have been killed or wounded in total. By comparison, Moscow lost about 15,000 soldiers in Afghanistan over 10 years.