Photo: ANATOLII STEPANOV / AFP / Getty Images
A Russian mercenary, who is believed to have played a role in the murder of prisoners of war and civilians, has become the latest high-ranking military figure of Vladimir Putin’s forces to die during the military invasion of Ukraine.
Social media channels and Russian newspapers reported that Vladimir Andonov, aged , had been shot by a sniper in Kharkov, the second city of Ukraine.
“ He died at night during the reconnaissance of the area, together with his comrade, presumably at the hands of a sniper,” the Peleng telegram channel said on Sunday , in a publication published by the mass circulation Russian newspaper Moskovsky Komsomolets.
Andonov came from d Mogoytuysky District, Transbaikal Territory in the Siberian Republic of Buryatia, whose local media outlet, Gazyeta Nomer Adeen, described him as the “most famous volunteer” in the region when reporting on his death.
According to reports, Vladimir Andonov, aged , was shot dead in Ukraine by a sniper. Connected with the Wagner group of Russian mercenaries, local media reported that the Siberian region of Buryatia’s most renowned military volunteer.
The database Ukraine-run “Peacemaker”, which lists Russian military crimes, said that in February 2015, Andonov participated in the execution of prisoners of war of the Ukrainian army in Logvinova, Donbas, in eastern Ukraine, where he had volunteered.
The database describes him as a “Russian mercenary” and an “executioner”.
In an interview with 2017, he told Gazyeta Nomer Adeen that he had “ideological reasons” for going to the Donbas region, because his grandfather had fought in Ukraine in World War II against the forces of Stepan Bandera, the Ukrainian nationalist involved in collaboration with Nazi Germany.
He told the media that he was a “ch amanista” who prayed in battle to avoid bullets. He credited his faith with allowing him to avoid injury while fighting in the Donbas region’s Sea of Azov.
Also known by the nom de guerre of Vaha, Andonov formed part of the Wagner Group of mercenaries who serve Putin in conflicts, but whose ties to Russia’s military objectives are denied by the Kremlin.
reportedly fought in Russian operations in Syria and Libya and in December 2017 received a military merit medal.
His death comes as two other Putin commanders, Major General Roman Kutuzov and Lieutenant General Roman Berdnikov, were killed by Ukrainian artillery in the Donbas region.
Although the Russian authorities did not confirm it, state television reporter Alexander Sladkov said that Kutozov, who was commander of Russia’s 5th Combined Arms Army, had “led the people to attack.” The Russian media outlet Volya Media reported on Berdnikov’s death.