Russian spy captain killed in ‘top secret’ operation in Ukraine as Putin loses YET ANOTHER commander, bringing the total death toll to 12 so far

A RUSSIAN spy captain was killed during a “top-secret” operation in Ukraine, bringing Vladimir Putin’s total number of commanders killed in the invasion to 12.

Captain Alexey Glushchak, a GRU military intelligence spy from Tyumen in Siberia, died in the Mariupol carnage, but details of his death have not been released.

“The circumstances of the death of the Tyumen hero are not disclosed due to the strict secrecy of the military operation,” a statement said.

The GRU was responsible for the Novichok poisoning of its former spy Sergei Skripal, who had defected to Britain, in Salisbury.

Glushchak’s funeral in Russia, where he was buried with full military honours and a guard of honour, was captured on camera.

It was revealed that the military intelligence officer had spoken to both his wife and mother in Russia on the day he died.

He called to wish them a happy International Women’s Day, but later that day, in the evening, they learned he had been murdered.

His death coincides with the first outpourings of rage and dismay over the number of coffins now returning to Russia, despite the fact that those officially acknowledged as having fallen in Ukraine are only a small fraction of the total number, which best estimates suggest now numbers in the thousands.

Glushchak will be honoured posthumously.

Moscow has not provided an up-to-date total of those killed in the war, and has only named a few of the fallen, including several generals.

Many of the funerals being covered in the media right now are for soldiers killed at the end of February.

Russia is taking two weeks or more to transport their bodies back to relatives, many of whom live thousands of miles away in the Russian Far East.

Corporal Danil Novolodsky, 24, a senior gunner on an air assault artillery battery, was also laid to rest.

Under a decree signed by Vladimir Putin, he was awarded the Order of Courage.

He was from Ulan-Ude, the capital of the Siberian republic of Buryatia, a predominantly Buddhist region that has seen a disproportionate number of Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine.

Tens of thousands of troops were sent west on the Trans-Siberian Railway ahead of the invasion to fight in the coming war.

Vladimir Plekhanov, 24, an orphan raised by a living foster family, was also laid to rest in the same region.

According to reports, Sagyndyk Kudaibergenov, 22, of Tyumen, was buried with military honours, just like the GRU agent.

While deploying communications equipment across a river, he was killed by mortar fire.

He was killed on February 26th, but his funeral was held on March 11th.

Since Putin launched the invasion of Ukraine, a total of 12 of his military commanders have been killed in action.

Colonel Andrei Zakharov was killed in a Ukrainian ambush near Kyiv, and Major General Andrei Kolesnikov of the 29th Combined Arms Army was killed shortly after.

Vitaly Gerasimov, another general, was killed in fighting outside Kharkiv.

Lieutenant Colonel Dmitry Safronov, commander of a Marine brigade, was killed, as were Lieutenant Colonel Denis Glebov and Colonel Konstantin Zizevsky, commanders of air assault troops.

Safronov and Glebov were killed when Ukrainian forces recaptured Chuhuiv, while Zizevsky was killed in Ukraine’s south.

Major General Andrei Sukhovetsky was assassinated by a Ukrainian sniper during the battle for Hostomel Airfield, about 30 miles outside of Kyiv.

General Magomed Tushaev was killed when his Chechen special forces column, which included 56 tanks, was destroyed near Hostomel, north of the city.

Warlord Vladimir Zhonga, who led the Sparta Battalion, a Neo-Nazi military unit with Kremlin support, is also among the Russian dead.

Two other senior Russian commanders, who have not been identified, have also been killed in the fighting.

The bloody invasion has taken its toll on Russia’s forces, prompting Moscow to reportedly seek assistance from China, raising fears of World War Three.

It is believed that Russian President Vladimir Putin has requested military equipment and assistance from Chinese President Xi Jinping.