Russia has lost its 50th colonel in the war in Ukraine.
The death was revealed of artillery commander Lt Col Vladimir Nigmatullin, a father of three, from Yekaterinburg.
He was killed on 31 May 2022 but his loss to Russian forces was only disclosed today.
Russia has lost almost one colonel every two days in the bloody conflict in Ukraine which was triggered by Vladimir Putin.
His family shared news of his death on social media, where they said Nigmatullin - who they called their "little man" - was a father-of-three and an "example to the motherland".
Ukraine also confirmed his death by his personal service number F-578429.
The exact circumstances of how he died have not yet been revealed.
His sister-in-law Marina Konyukhova posted on social media:
“Eternal memory, darling, dear, much-loved man, you passed away.
“We still cannot believe you are gone.
“You are a father of three children, and an amazing husband to my sister.
“I am always proud of you, and I will always be proud.
“You set an example to the Motherland, so that everyone does like you did.
“You were ordered with the Order of Bravery, posthumously.
“You went through a lot of conflict areas.”
His death comes as Russia lost its 11th general of the conflict in recent days, Major-General Roman Kutuzov was the chief of staff of the 29th Combined Arms Army.
It was revealed today that he was awarded a posthumous promotion to Lieutenant-General.
He died in an ambush in Donbas.
“He calmly walked up the career ladder, successfully commanded the troops, and died as a soldier, fighting on the front lines,” said a report by Readovka.
A picture shows Kutuzov’s funeral in Russia.
One mourner said: “I knew him personally, Roman lived a hero and died a hero.
“My condolences to his loved ones, strength and patience to his subordinates and fellow officers.”
Some sources have claimed that Russia lost a second and more senior general in the same incident in Donetsk region.
They say there is evidence that Lieutenant-General Roman Berdnikov, 47, was killed, too.
Less than a month ago, Berdnikov was commander of the Russian armed forces task force in Syria, and he was moved to take charge of Putin’s forces and those of the Donetsk People’s Republic [DPR] in Donbas.
If his death is confirmed he will be the 12th general to have been killed in the war.
