Top Russian Airborne Officer Killed in Ukraine: Reports

An elite Russian colonel has reportedly been killed while attempting to bolster the morale of Russia's troops on the front lines in Ukraine.

Ukrainian internal affairs adviser Anton Gerashchenko said in a Monday post to X, formerly Twitter, that Colonel Arman Ospanov died after standing on a land mine. According to Gerashchenko, Ospanov led the armored division of Russia's Airborne Forces, best known for its blue beret-wearing paratroopers.

"Russian Telegram channels report that Arman Ospanov, a Russian colonel and head of the armored service of the Russian Airborne Forces, went to the occupied territories of Ukraine to raise the morale of personnel," Gerashchenko wrote. "There, he stepped on a mine and died."

A Monday post to Russian Telegram account Airborne Forces for Honesty and Justice, which is associated with officers from the Dnepr Group of the Russian Armed Forces, appeared to confirm Ospanov's death.

"We found out about this yesterday, but were waiting for the family to be informed," the post reads. "Unfortunately, our good comrade, Colonel Arman Ospanov, died at the front. He fulfilled his military duty to the last."

"This is a huge loss for all paratroopers, since Ospanov headed the Airborne Armored Service," it continues. "We will report on the circumstances of his death later, when we receive permission and know that this will not harm anyone."

Newsweek reached out for comment to the Russian Ministry of Defense via email on Monday.

An X post by Ukrainian military blogger Igor Sushko notes that Ospanov died in Kherson and was "a close friend of" Colonel General Mikhail Teplinsky, commander of the Russian Airborne Forces.

Sushko also pointed out that the manner of Ospanov's death is disputed, with some reports claiming that a land mine was to blame and others asserting that a Ukrainian artillery attack caused the colonel's demise.

A Telegram post from Russian channel Spy Dossier lamented "a big loss for the Airborne Forces" while reporting that Ospanov was killed by Ukrainian artillery fire while attempting to help tow a Russian armored vehicle.

The account also claimed that Sergeant Alexander Anatolyevich, commander from Russia's 104th Airborne Division, was "killed on the spot" alongside Ospanov, while two privates from the 104th were injured.

Newsweek was unable to independently verify Ospanov's death or its purported circumstances at the time of publication.

Paratroopers from the Airborne Forces, also known as VDV, are often described as some of Moscow's most fearsome fighters. However, they have also purportedly suffered unusually high casualty rates since the war in Ukraine began almost two years ago.

Last month, the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defense claimed that Russia's 104th Airborne Division had "suffered exceptionally heavy losses" while battling in Ukraine.

Former Kremlin military press agent Mikhail Zvinchuk claimed during a January 2023 Russian television appearance that "airborne forces lost 40-50 percent of staff" in Ukraine since they were first deployed.

Teplinsky appeared to endorse the figure during an address in August, when he said that 8,500 paratroopers had suffered casualties.

While paratrooper units can suffer high casualties due to enemy fire and accidents related to skydiving, some of Russia's losses during the Ukraine war may also be from friendly fire.

On Sunday, Russian Telegram channel Kremlin Snuffbox reported that two VDV paratroopers had recently been accidentally fired upon and killed by Russian air defenses during a training exercise near the Ukrainian border.

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