On the battlefield of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, key figures in Russia have been hit one after another.
These figures cover different levels and responsibilities, from those involved in the front, to generals in charge of special fields, to training personnel providing support in the back, all become the targets of Ukrainian-related operations.
The Ukrainian side has carried out a series of operations against these key Russian figures through intelligence gathering and precision actions, behind which are both responses to specific acts and strategic considerations.
The occurrence of these incidents not only affects the local combat posture of both sides, but also demonstrates the important role played by intelligence and targeted operations in the conflict, drawing the attention of the outside world to changes in the battlefield situation.
Zaporizhzhia's Precision Strike
Sergey Menyailo, chief executive of the Republic of North Ossetia, Russian Federation, once reported that Russian lieutenant Vasily Marzoyev was killed in Zaporizhzhia.
The preliminary report only mentioned that he was "killed while on combat duty," but the subsequent information disclosed by Ukraine was much more detailed.
Vasily's identity was the platoon leader of the reconnaissance platoon of the 108th Parachute Regiment of the 7th Airborne Assault Division of the Russian Army. He participated in combat operations in Ukraine for a long time. After his death, Russian President Vladimir Putin posthumously awarded him the title of "Hero of Russia".
Behind this honor lies a more concerned family background, his father, Lieutenant Lieutenant-General Alkady Marzoev, commander of the 18th Army Composite Army of the Southern Military District of the Russian Armed Forces.
The General Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine released an exclusive video on October 27 to reveal the truth about Vasili's death.
Video shows that on October 15, the Ukrainian Army's Proactive Operations Division joint unmanned units operated in the direction of Zaporizhia, while the unmanned units were in the air for reconnaissance.
The position of the Russian drone operator was discovered near the village of Pravni in the Vasilvka region. After obtaining the accurate coordinates, the Ukrainian army directly dropped a guided aerial bomb. Vasili was on this position at the time. Eventually, he was killed with other soldiers.
It is noteworthy that the Ukrainian side has long focused on Lieutenant Lieutenant-General Arkady Marzoev, and the Ukrainian National Security Agency has previously announced an absence lawsuit against five senior Russian officers, including him.
Investigators pointed out that Arkady had ordered attacks on residential areas, schools, hospitals and critical infrastructure in the Kherson region, and was suspected of committing war crimes against civilians.
The killing of his son was interpreted by the outside world as the precise response of the Ukrainian army to the personnel involved in war crimes, this "targeted strike" eliminated the front-line operational forces, but also shaken the highest levels of suspected war criminals.
Chemical warfare doubts
Bivashiri Malzoev, who was killed earlier in the Ukrainian operation, was General Igor Kirilov, commander of the Russian Armed Forces Radiation, Chemical and Biological Defense Forces.
He died in December 2024, and just the day before he was killed, the National Security Service of Ukraine had filed charges in absentia against him for large-scale use of chemical weapons against the Ukraine Defense Forces.
Kirilov’s identity is very special, with radiation, chemical and biological defense forces carrying on special tasks in the battlefield and suspected of violating international conventions once the use of chemical weapons is proven.
The Ukrainian side chose to carry out the killing the day after the indictment was made, and this closely linked pace of action demonstrates its zero-tolerance attitude towards such suspects of war crimes.
It also confirms the accuracy of their grasp of the whereabouts of the target person from the side. After all, being able to quickly carry out a strike after the accusation is released is inseparable from long-term intelligence gathering and careful planning and deployment.
The invisible battlefield behind.
In addition to direct exchanges of fire on the front line and targeted actions against senior generals, Ukraine's intelligence service has also extended the scope of its attack to the Russian military's rear support system.
Last fall, a high-profile death occurred in Moscow Oblast. The victim was Alexei Kolomeitsev, Colonel of the Russian Armed Forces.
Kolomeitsev's main job is not to charge on the front line, but to train drone operators at the rear. He manages a professional training center.
Particularly focused on the training of the operators and support personnel of the "witness" type suicide drones, such drones are often used in the battlefield to carry out reconnaissance and attack missions, posing a minor threat to the Ukrainian army.
Sources in Ukrainian military intelligence revealed that the operation against Kolomeitsev was coordinated by the General Intelligence Department of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense.
This operation is of great strategic significance. Eliminating a core drone training leader is equivalent to cutting off the "supply line" of relevant Russian combat forces.
Rather than shooting down several drones on the battlefield, this strike against the "source" can weaken the opposition's operational capabilities for a longer period of time, and also reflects the partial victory of the Ukrainian intelligence department is no longer satisfied with the front.
Instead, through multidimensional operations, the Russian military's operational system was gradually dismantled.
From rear instructors to frontline lieutenants to generals with special forces, the targets of Ukraine intelligence and special forces cover key personnel of different levels and types of the Russian army.
Behind these actions are both responses to war crimes and strategic considerations to weaken the other side's combat capabilities. Accurate intelligence support and decisive execution allow these seemingly extremely difficult actions to achieve their goals one after another.
conclusion
The series of successive attacks on key Russian figures on the Russian-Ukrainian battlefield are not isolated combat operations, but a concrete manifestation of the strategic game between the two sides.
Ukraine operates against targets at different levels and with different responsibilities using accurate intelligence and efficient execution, responding to relevant demands and also weakening the other party’s operational capabilities to a certain extent.
These events not only changed the situation on the local battlefield, but also highlighted the importance of intelligence warfare and accurate strike in modern conflict.
As the actions of both sides adjust in the future, new changes may occur in the battlefield pattern, and the outside world's attention to such targeted actions will continue to affect the judgment of the direction of the entire conflict.