Russia has held the funeral of its 36th colonel known to have been killed in Ukraine in little over two months of war.
Lt-Col Oleg Yevseev, 43, was buried in the Siberian city of Omsk on what would have been his 44th birthday.
Russia has given no details of how and when he was killed except that it was as part of Vladimir Putin’s “special military operation” in Ukraine.
He is one of 30 servicemen from Omsk region to die in the war.
Governor Alexander Burkov said: “By participating in the military special operation, our defenders proved themselves to be true patriots and worthy heirs of the heroic generation of winners.
“Eternal memory!”
Despite the outpouring of patriotism that greets each newly-announced fatality, the scale of the toll including at least 36 colonels and eight generals is a devastating blow to Russian forces.
Many deaths - estimated by Britain’s defence secretary Ben Walace this week to number around 15,000 - have not been publicly disclosed.
Lt-Col Yevseev was married to Marina, 36, and was a commander of the 291st Artillery Brigade of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.
