The British Ministry of Defence (MoD) has said that Russian general-major Sergei Goryachev was almost certainly killed in a strike on a command post on or around 12 June 2023, in southern Ukraine. The top Russian general Goryachev was the chief of staff of 35th Combined Arms Army (35 CAA). “With 35 CAA’s nominated commander, General-Lieutenant Alexandr Sanchik, reported to be filling a gap in a higher HQ, there is a realistic possibility that Goryachev was the acting army commander at the time of his death,” the ministry said today. Goryachev is the first Russian general confirmed killed in Ukraine since the start of 2023, the MoD said. This comes as a senior military official in Kyiv said Ukraine’s soldiers are ready to fight Vladimir Putin’s “even with our bare hands”, as Kyiv claimed its counteroffensive had already liberated 100 square kilometres of territory from Russia. Russia is bringing in reserves to eastern sector of heavy fighting in the war from other parts of Ukraine, Ukrainian deputy defence minister Hanna Malyar said. Read More Ukraine’s ‘D-Day’ offensive is going to need all the help it can get Petty squabbles and strategic differences threaten to undermine Nato’s united front over Ukraine How significant is the reported recapture of the first Ukrainian villages from Russia?