A high-ranking Russian Army officer has reportedly been killed in the eastern Ukrainian oblast of Luhansk, according to Russian and Ukrainian outlets.
Noel Reports, which tweets about the war, said that there is some uncertainty about the circumstances of the death of Denis Ivanov, the commander of the 123rd motorized rifle brigade with the call sign "Tashkent."
It was among Ukrainian channels that said he was killed either due to a kamikaze drone or a missile strike on a car he had been traveling in. Other sources said he was killed in a missile strike on a base in the Lugansk oblast.
The state-backed Russia 1 channel would not give Ivanov's full name but confirmed that the commander known as "Tashkent" had been killed. Many people in Luhansk know that the liberation of Rubizhne, Severodonetsk and many other settlements was "associated with his name," according to the channel.
In a report also carried by the outlet Luhansk News, the channel said that Ivanov was 42 and due to celebrate his birthday next week. He had received the honor "Hero of Russia" and was a father of two. "He was always at the front next to the soldiers," said the outlet, "he was such a fighter."
"Officers are always close to the fighters. Unfortunately, it doesn't come without losses," said the Luhansk News. "He was not one of those who seeks fame in the media, but he was one of the most respected commanders among the fighters of his unit."
The Twitter account of KIU, which tracks Russian officers it says have been killed in Ukraine, said that Ivanov was a former separatist. It noted how the brigade he commanded was a tactical unit of the Ground Forces of the Russian Forces and was formerly the 2nd Brigade of the People's Militia of the so-called Luhansk People's Republic.
KIA's tally as of Wednesday showed the Ukrainian Armed Forces had killed at least 2,529 Russian officers based on publicly available data from Russia.
Ukrainian internal affairs adviser Anton Gerashchenko wrote on Telegram that Ivanov was often praised by "Russian propagandists, in particular, Olga Skabeeva. In their stories, they called Ivanov 'the legendary brigade commander.'"
Separately, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the security of ports in Ukraine would be strengthened following two days of strikes on Odesa by Russian forces using missiles and kamikaze drones.
Zelensky said in a press conference that Ukraine needs additional SAMP-T or Patriot air defense systems to protect Odesa.
Newsweek reached out to the Russian Defense Ministry for comment on Wednesday.
Update 07/19/23, 11 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with further information.
