Putin loses Bespalov, ninth senior military officer in Ukraine

Russian Colonel Alexander Bespalov, a tank commander has been killed in Ukraine, the ninth senior Russian officer to be lost in battle.

He was given a funeral back in Russia but many soldiers corpses have been left to rot on the battlefield, to the despair of their mourning relatives.

Ukraine claimed 19,000 Russian invaders have died, but Russia only admitted “significant losses of troops”, without disclosing a tally.

Bespalov death comes after Ukraine announced it had “eliminated” Colonel Denis Kurilo, commander of the 200th motorised rifle brigade, in fierce fighting outside the country’s second city Kharkiv.

Bespalov was commander of the 59th Tank Guards Tank Regiment, Russia’s 74.RU news website reports.