American newspaper: Su-25 fighter was shot down, retired Russian air force major general died in Ukraine

According to Newsweek, on Sunday, May 22, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said that a Russian Sukhoi (Su-25) attack aircraft was shot down in the Luhansk region and the pilot did not have time to jump. even out.

Later, on Russian Telegram accounts, it was revealed that the pilot of the Su-25 plane that was shot down in Ukraine was retired air force major general Kanamat Botashev, 63.

This information was also confirmed by former colleagues of Major General Botashev, who the BBC said wanted to remain anonymous. Newsweek has reached out to the Russian Defense Ministry for comment but has not yet responded.

The Daily Beast reported that retired Russian Air Force major general Botashev became the 13th general to die in Ukraine since Russia launched a special military operation into Ukraine on February 24, according to The Daily Beast. the results of the tally of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. The Russian Defense Ministry has only confirmed the deaths of two generals, and US officials have not given specific numbers.

The Russian-language BBC said it had confirmed the death of Major General Botashev by speaking to a number of people who had previously been under his management and are still in contact with the former commander.

“Farewell, Commander… There are very few people on this planet who have ever struggled in the sky like a major general. The sky brings the best, today the sky brought the major general,” the BBC quoted an announcement posted on the Telegram Fighterbomber channel for Russian fighter pilots.

“Today General Botashev died in battle! In Popasna (Ukraine), 8:25 am”, BBC quoted another comment.

It is not clear why Major General Botashev became involved in the conflict in Ukraine despite his retirement. However, the BBC quoted former subordinates of the general as saying that perhaps the Russian major general “couldn’t stand on the sidelines”.

According to the BBC, Mr Botashev could also have gone to Ukraine to fight if he had been recruited by the Wagner group, a private military contractor believed to have links to the Russian Defense Ministry and the Kremlin.

The Russian Defense Ministry has denied involvement in the Wagner group and has not yet commented on the incident involving Major General Botashev.

However, there have been several cases of Russian generals “suddenly coming back to life” after being declared “dead in battle” by Ukrainian and Western media and even officials in Kiev.

Specifically, the case of Major General Vitaly Gerasimov, deputy commander of Russia’s 41st Army Corps. In March, Ukrainian and Western media quoted the Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s intelligence service as saying that Gerasimov had died in a fierce battle in Kharkov.

But on May 23, Russia’s Truth newspaper (Pravda.ru) reported that on May 22, Major General Vitaly Gerasimov was awarded the Alexander Nevsky Medal by the Commander of the Central Military District, Lieutenant General Aleksandr Lapin, for his achievements. excellent in combat.

Similarly, Russian lieutenant general Andrey Mordvichev, commander of the 8th corps of Russia’s southern military district, recently suddenly “revived” when appearing in a clip next to Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, after Chief of Staff Ukrainian President Aleksey Arestovich’s office announced that the country’s military had killed him in the Chernobyecka region on March 19, according to Pravda.