One of Vladimir Putin’s most notorious commanders, Lieutenant Colonel Dmitry Lisitsky, has reportedly died at the age of 48 from a gunshot wound.
There are competing claims as to who was behind his death, with Ukraine claiming he was “liquidated” in revenge for the infamous massacre of hundreds of his troops when they retreated to the “Ilovaisk cauldron” in 2014.
Russian sources claim he committed suicide with his shotgun in his kitchen, in his home city of Stavropol, amid “depression” over the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Lisitsky – recipient of his country’s highest medal, the Hero of Russia – was commander of the 1st Airborne Assault Battalion of the 247th Airborne Assault Regiment.
His death was first announced by Ukrainian journalist Yuri Butusov, who claimed that Kiev’s armed forces had once again avenged Ilovaisk – they liquidated […] Dmitry Lisitsky.”
Russian Lieutenant Colonel Dmitry Lisitsky (pictured) is believed to have died from a gunshot wound, but the Russian and Ukrainian disagree over who was responsible for his death. Russians claim he committed suicide, while Ukraine has said he was ‘liquidated’ in revenge
Lisitsky – recipient of his country’s highest medal, the Hero of Russia – was commander of the 1st Airborne Assault Battalion of the 247th Airborne Assault Regiment. He is held responsible for the infamous massacre of hundreds of his troops when they retreated to the ‘Ilovaisk Cauldron’ in 2014. Pictured: Pro-Russian rebels are seen near Ilovaisk on August 31, 2014
His regiment had suffered “heavy casualties” when Russia pulled out of Kharkiv last year and “Lisitsky’s liquidation will seriously weaken the regiment’s fighting capacity,” Butusov claimed.
However, Russian sources say his body was found in his apartment in Stavropol.
Colleagues said Lisitsky was recently depressed because of ‘a complaint about his illegal actions against’ [military] personnel’ during the war against Ukraine.
No further details about the alleged complaint were given.
The ‘Ilovaisk cauldron’ referred to the massacre of at least 366 Ukrainian soldiers and volunteers as they retreated from an encirclement in the Donetsk region in 2014.
He commanded the Russian battalion group accused of attacking the Ukrainians during a mutually agreed ceasefire that allowed a peaceful retreat.
He allegedly gave the order to open fire on the Ukrainians as soon as they came into the open. As well as the 366 who died, 450 were wounded and 300 captured.
Putin awarded him the Hero of Russia Medal in 2015.
Ukrainian troops had been able to enter the city of Ilovaisk on August 18, 2014, but were soon surrounded by pro-Russian insurgents linked to the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) and soldiers of the Russian army.
The Ukrainian troops rejected the DPR’s proposal to open a humanitarian corridor to leave the city, on the condition that they abandon their weapons and vehicles.
On the morning of August 29, the Ukrainian soldiers began to leave the city with their weapons, but the Russian side opened fire on them – on the orders of Lisitsky.
A criminal investigation into the failure of government forces in Ilovaisk was opened by the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, and the then defense minister was forced to resign, at least in part because of his responsibility in the failure of the battle.
Each year, Ukraine holds a Day of Remembrance on August 29 – chosen because it was the date on which the greatest number of soldiers died in battle.
Meanwhile, in Russia, the Russian soldiers who joined the battle are lauded and commonly referred to as the “Northern Wind” by pro-military types.
The same Russian unit responsible for the massacre – the 247th Guards Air Assault Regiment – has also been investigated for war crimes committed in Bucha during the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine launched by Putin in February 2022.
Pictured: Ukrainian soldiers fire on Russian positions with a TRF-1 155mm on March 27
Pictured: Ukrainian soldiers ride atop an APC on the frontline in Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Sunday, March 26
On September 9, 2022, it was reported that the entire unit was destroyed in Ukraine’s high-speed counterattack in the Kherson region.
Several leading Russian military personnel have been killed since the start of the war. On July 11, 2022, Ukrainian sources claimed that 14 Russian generals had been killed.
While some of Kiev’s claims are disputed by Russia, four have been confirmed by both sides. A loss of even two general officers would be considered rare.
Dozens of junior military leaders were also killed in the fighting.