Andrei Aleksandrovich Sukhovetsky (russian: Андрей Александрович Суховецкий; 25 June 1974 – 28 February 2022) was a Russian Airborne Forces major general ( one-star rank). He was killed in action during the

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...

. Sukhovetsky's last assignment was as deputy commander of the

41st Combined Arms Army The 41st Combined Arms Army (russian: 41-я общевойсковая армия) is a field army of the Russian Ground Forces, currently part of the Central Military District. Originally, it was formed in 1942 as part of the Soviet Red Army, dur ...

, a Russian Ground Forces command participating in the invasion of Ukraine. Conflicting reports of the place of his death have arisen, though his death itself is regarded as confirmed.

Biography

Sukhovetsky was born on 25 June 1974. He graduated from the Ryazan Guards Higher Airborne Command School in 1995, and initially served as a platoon commander before gradually rising in the ranks. '' The Independent'' described him as a "respected paratrooper". He served in military operations in the North Caucasus, including in

Chechnya Chechnya ( rus, Чечня́, Chechnyá, p=tɕɪtɕˈnʲa; ce, Нохчийчоь, Noxçiyçö), officially the Chechen Republic,; ce, Нохчийн Республика, Noxçiyn Respublika is a republic of Russia. It is situated in the ...

, and fought in

Abkhazia Abkhazia, ka, აფხაზეთი, tr, , xmf, აბჟუა, abzhua, or ( or ), officially the Republic of Abkhazia, is a partially recognised state in the South Caucasus, recognised by most countries as part of Georgia, which vi ...

during the Russo-Georgian War of 2008. In the following year, he graduated from the Combined Arms Academy. Sukhovetsky was decorated for his role in the

annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation In February and March 2014, Russia invaded and subsequently annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine. This event took place in the aftermath of the Revolution of Dignity and is part of the wider Russo-Ukrainian War. The events in Kyiv th ...

in 2014 and subsequently also participated in the Russian military intervention in the Syrian civil war. In 2018, he graduated from the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia. From 2019 to 2021, Sukhovetsky headed the 7th Guards Mountain Air Assault Division. Promoted to major general, Sukhovetsky was appointed deputy commander of the

in October 2021. In this role, he fought in the

. He also was a Spetsnaz commander. Sukhovetsky was a highly decorated soldier, having been awarded 14 medals.

Death

Sukhovetsky was killed in combat in Ukraine on 28 February 2022. According to Ukrainian sources, he was shot by a

sniper A sniper is a military/paramilitary marksman who engages targets from positions of concealment or at distances exceeding the target's detection capabilities. Snipers generally have specialized training and are equipped with high-precision r ...

, either in the city of Hostomel or when landing at Hostomel Airport. According to one report, he had ventured to the front of the stalled

Russian Kyiv convoy The Russian Kyiv convoy was a large column of Russian military vehicles stretching some in the Kyiv oblast from Prybirsk to Hostomel via Ivankiv involved in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. It has been noted for initially threatening K ...

. In contrast, another report claimed that he died near Mariupol, which was besieged by Russian forces at the time; however, the 41st Army operated in northern Ukraine, far from the Mariupol area. His death was first reported by Andrei Terekhov, a retired Russian intelligence officer, on Twitter on 1 March. It was also reported by Sergey Chipilev, a former colleague of his in the airborne forces, on the VKontakte social networking service on 2 March, though he deleted his account the next day. Vladimir Myshkin, an official of the Combat Brotherhood, a Russian veterans group, confirmed on 3 March that he and others had heard of the death. President Vladimir Putin later mentioned in a speech that he had been killed. Military historian Jack McCall notes that Sukhovetsky is the second Russian general to have been killed as a direct result of combat with Ukrainian combatants since the death of General Nikolai F. Vatutin in 1944.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sukhovetsky, Andrei 1974 births 2022 deaths Deaths by firearm in Ukraine Russian military personnel killed in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine Russian military personnel of the Syrian civil war People of the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation Military personnel of the Russo-Georgian War Russian major generals Ryazan Guards Higher Airborne Command School alumni Frunze Military Academy alumni Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia alumni Recipients of the Order of Courage Recipients of the Order of Military Merit (Russia)

Biography

Death

See also

References