Targeted Strikes: A Look at High-Profile Russian Deaths During the Ukraine Conflict

The ongoing conflict in Ukraine has witnessed a series of high-profile assassinations targeting Russian military officials and pro-war figures, raising questions about the tactics and strategies employed in this shadowy aspect of the war.

Recent Victims

Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov

• Location: Southern Moscow
• Method: Car bomb
• Role: Key figure in the Russian General Staff, overseeing army operational training
• Suspected Involvement: Ukrainian, though Kyiv has not commented

Lieutenant General Yaroslav Moskalik

• Location: Near Moscow
• Method: Car bomb
• Role: High-ranking officer in the Main Operations Directorate of the General Staff

Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov

• Location: Outside a Moscow apartment building
• Method: Bomb hidden in an electric scooter
• Role: Chief of Russia's Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Protection Troops

Valery Trankovsky

• Location: Crimea
• Method: Car bomb
• Role: Russian naval captain accused of war crimes

Andrei Korotkiy

• Location: Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (under Russian control)
• Method: Assassination
• Role: Labeled a collaborator and war criminal by Ukrainian military intelligence

Illia Kyva

• Location: Near Moscow
• Method: Shot dead
• Role: Former Ukrainian lawmaker seen as a traitor by Kyiv

Stanislav Rzhitsky

• Location: Krasnodar
• Method: Shot while out on a morning run
• Role: Russian military officer, commanded a submarine in the Black Sea

Vladen Tatarsky

• Location: St. Petersburg cafe
• Method: Bomb concealed in a statuette
• Role: Pro-war Russian military blogger

Darya Dugina

• Location: Moscow region
• Method: Car bomb
• Role: Daughter of a pro-war nationalist figure

Questions and Implications

These incidents raise important questions about the ethics and effectiveness of such operations. They also underscore the complex and multifaceted nature of modern conflict, where the battlefield extends far beyond traditional war zones.