Russian commander of elite air assault brigade killed in Ukraine

Colonel Andrey Kondrashkin, the commander of a Russian elite air assault brigade, has reportedly been killed in Ukraine.

The news was announced by Alexander Khodakovsky, the commander of the Russian-aligned “Vostok” battalion fighting on the Donetsk front, whose troops were pushed out of the village of Urozhaine in August.

Kondrashkin, the commander of the elite 31st Airborne Storm Brigade, is reported to have played a crucial role in Russia’s siege of Mariupol in 2022. Khodakovsky suggested he was killed in a Ukrainian strike.

“While we were fighting hand in hand, we became friends with Andrei, and today we were deeply hurt by the news of his death. We offer our condolences to his family and friends, his comrades in arms,” Khodakovsky wrote in a post on his Telegram social media channel on Sunday.

The Kremlin hasn’t commented on news of Kondrashkin’s death. Newsweek has contacted Russia’s defense ministry for comment via email.

Ukrainian journalist Yurii Butusov said the 31st Airborne Storm Brigade has taken part in “all the major battles of the war” and said the brigade is now located near the city of Bakhmut in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, currently the scene of intense fighting.

Kondrashkin had been tasked with repelling Ukrainian attacks south of the Donetsk village of Andriivka to prevent the remnants of the 72nd Motorized Rifle Brigade from being captured.

“However, Kondrashkin was unable to complete the task,” Butusov wrote. “The circumstances of exactly how Kondrashkin was killed during these battles are not yet known. But the liquidation of the commander of one of the Russian strike formations is a serious achievement.”

“In the battles for Andriivka, as is now known, a large number of command personnel of the 57th, 72nd, 85th motorized rifle and 31st air assault brigades of the Russian Armed Forces were destroyed,” the journalist said.

Ukraine’s 3rd Separate Assault Brigade said on September 15 that a Russian brigade had been left “in tatters” after the recapture of Andriivka, which is located some 10 kilometers (6 miles) south of Bakhmut. Its capture came more than three months into Kyiv’s counteroffensive to reclaim Russian-occupied territory.

The brigade said on Telegram that its servicemen reclaimed Andriivka after surrounding its Russian garrison during a “lightning operation” that took place over two days. The Russian brigade was left “in tatters,” it said.

“In two days, the 3rd Assault Brigade eliminated: the chief of enemy brigade intelligence; three battalion commanders; and almost all the infantry of the 72nd brigade, together with other officers and a significant amount of equipment,” it said. “As of now, the fighting continues, our units continue to consolidate in new positions.”

Andriivka’s recapture is “key to success in all further directions,” the brigade said, adding: “We pay a high price for the results of these battles. And the blood of each of our fighters will be repaid only with blood.”

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