Andrey Paliy was shot dead by Ukrainian forces near city of Mariupol, according to a Russian politician
MOSCOW
A ranking Russian military official was reportedly killed in the Russia-Ukraine war, according to a Russian official’s post on social media on Sunday.
Russian Senator from Sevastopol Yekaterina Altabayeva on her Telegram said Andrey Paliy, 51-year-old deputy commander of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, died in the clashes at Ukraine’s Mariupol city.
Altabayeva said Paliy graduated from the Kyiv Military Naval School of Politics in 1992, and that he refused to join the Ukrainian army in 1993 and entered the Russian Northern Navy.
She added that the senior military official Paliy also took part in the 2008 Georgia war.
According to UN estimates, at least 902 civilians have been killed and around 1,459 injured in Ukraine since Russia launched a war on its western neighbor on Feb. 24.
The UN has said the real figures are likely to be much higher as conditions on the ground make verification difficult.
UN data shows over 3.38 million refugees have fled from Ukraine since the war began, while some 6.5 million are estimated to be internally displaced in the country.
