While Russia is spending upwards of $900 million a day on the war in Ukraine, the only place they seem to be saving a few rubles is on future retirement benefits of Russian officers. The 49th colonel of the Russian army has been reported killed in action in Ukraine. As unprecedented as it may seem, Russia has lost some 10 to 12 Russian generals and dozens of senior officials in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in just four months.

The 49th Russian colonel to be killed was reported to be Lieutenant Colonel Zaur Dimayev, the deputy commander of the 4th Battalion of the Akhmat Kadyrov Special Forces Regiment. Dimayev was reported to be a close ally of Chechen Head of the Republic Ramzan Kadyrov, a known warlord.

According to initial reports, Dimayev had been riding in a military vehicle when they were hit with Ukrainian artillery shells last Tuesday in the village of Kamyshevakha in Luhansk. This resulted in the death of the driver, two Chechen police officers, and Dimayev. Four others were reported to be injured. However, we cannot confirm this as of this time.

Ukraine’s AFU Strategic Communications reported the death on their Facebook page yesterday: