CNN —A Russian general who reportedly served as the top military commander for Ukraine last year has died, according to Russian state media. Army General Gennady Zhidko died at 58 “after a long illness” on Wednesday, according to the state news agency TASS. Zhidko served as Russia’s Eastern Military District Commander between May and October last year. He was reportedly the overall theater commander in Ukraine during Moscow’s offensive against Lysychansk and Severodonetsk in the summer of 2022. Russia’s Ministry of Defense named General Sergey Surovikin as its new overall commander for operations in the war on October 2022.

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Persons: Gennady Zhidko, Zhidko, Mikhail Degtyarev, “, ”, Sergei Shoigu, ISW, Sergey Surovikin, Surovikin hasn’t, Wagner Organizations: CNN, Army, Eastern Military, Tass, Intelligence Team, Russian Defense, Russian Armed Forces, Defense, Russia, Staff, Russian Federation, Eastern Military District, Russia’s Ministry of Defense Locations: Ukraine, Russia’s Khabarovsk, Moscow, Kyiv, Washington, Syria, Kharkiv