Russian Actor Who Played Soldier in TV Show Reportedly Killed in Kursk

War
Post At: Aug 22/2024 02:50AM

Russian actor Yevgeny Shishov reportedly died on day 12 of Ukraine's offensive operation in Kursk Oblast. The actor's wife told Russian media agency Regnum her husband's death has not been confirmed by officials yet.

However, Shishov's friend and colleague, Alexey Shashin, confirmed the actor's death to the Russian news channel 360°.

"I was burying [a friend] yesterday, and they called me and said: 'Can you identify Yevgeny?' I just sat down and fell, almost lost consciousness. My third friend," Shashin said.

Another colleague of Shishov's, Dmitry Bodrov, confirmed his friend died but said he doesn't know any details yet, according to 360°.

His body is reportedly now in Belgorod in the Kursk Oblast, according to Russian news agency URA.

News of his death was also reported by the acting website kino-teatr.ru which wrote below his bio: "Died in the Kursk region, defending Russia."

Telegram news channel Shot reported that he was killed on August 18.

"According to our information, Shishov recently participated in battles in the Kursk region. He received a shrapnel wound on August 18, but, unfortunately, died during evacuation to the hospital," the channel wrote.

This photograph shows a road sign showing the distance to the Russian town of Kursk next to the destroyed border crossing point with Russia, in the Sumy region, on August 13, 2024, amid the Russian... This photograph shows a road sign showing the distance to the Russian town of Kursk next to the destroyed border crossing point with Russia, in the Sumy region, on August 13, 2024, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Russian actor Yevgeny Shishov reportedly died in Kursk after being hit by a shrapnel. ROMAN PILIPEY/AFP via Getty Images

Shisov signed a contract with the Ministry of Defense in February. Ukrainian news outlet TSN defined Shishov as "an ardent Putin fan" who "watched enough Russian TV channels and listened to enough propagandists." Ukrainian news agency RBC reported that Ukrainian forces "eliminated" the actor.

"Local publics call him 'a hero who died defending Russia,' but they overlook the fact that the artist fought on Ukrainian territory long before the events in the Kursk region began," wrote the agency.

Shishov was a popular TV actor in Russia. He played in several movies as well as often starring as a security guard or special agent. In the 2020 Russian-Tunisian movie "Shugaley," where Russia tries to save the tense situation in Libya, Shishov plays an American soldier.

According to the Russian tabloid newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda, his family tried to talk him out of joining the army but he replied, "I'm a healthy guy, why should I sit it out?"

Since Ukraine launched its operation in Kursk Oblast on August 6, they seized 482 square miles of Russian territory, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. That is reportedly more than the Russian forces managed to seize since the beginning of the year.

On August 19, Ukraine's armed forces stated that Russia had lost 1,120 soldiers in the previous 24 hours, bringing the total death toll to 600,470.

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