Russian troops reportedly attacked their own commanding officer by running him over with a tank after many in their brigade were killed amid the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
Ukrainian journalist Roman Tsymbaliuk said in a post on Facebook that Russian Col. Yuri Medvedev was attacked after fighting in Ukraine left nearly half of the men in the 37th Motor Rifle Brigade dead, The Washington Post reported.
Tsymbaliuk said the brigade injured both of Medvedev’s legs by hitting him with a tank, causing him to be hospitalized, according to the newspaper.
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The incident occurred roughly 30 miles from Kyiv, in Makariv, Ukraine, the Post reported. The country reportedly retook the town this week after Russia gained control of it earlier in the war.
A senior Western official told the newspaper that he thinks Medvedev has died, saying the incident shows the low morale among the Russian troops in Ukraine.
He was killed “as a consequence of the scale of the losses taken by his own brigade,” the official said, according to the Post.
NATO estimated earlier this week that as many as 15,000 Russian soldiers have been killed as Ukraine continues to mount fierce resistance against Moscow’s assault.
Several high-ranking officers are reported to be among the deceased, with Russian officials reportedly confirming Sunday that a navy commander had been killed and Russian state TV saying last week that one of the country’s top commanders had died, among others.
Russia has been accused by the U.S. of committing war crimes in the conflict, as Ukrainian officials say Moscow is targeting civilians and structures such as hospitals, schools, residential buildings and bomb shelters.