A SENIOR Russian colonel has been found dead as Ukraine vows to punish everyone committing war crimes against them.
Aleksey Kolomeitsev, 51, was regarded as one of Vladimir Putin’s top cronies as he trained up Russia’s kamikaze drone unit and was directly involved in the full-scale invasion, according to Ukraine’s military.
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He was found dead in Russia on September 27, in a reported joint operation by Ukrainian military intelligence and anti-Putin fighters.
The Ukrainian GUR military intelligence directorate announced the “elimination of a war criminal” but gave no detail on how the Shahed drone chief was killed.
Kolomeitsev was being targeted by Ukrainian officials after he led Russia’s 924th State Center of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles.
The unit specialised in drone warfare with Kolomeitsev training up soldiers to use Iranian-made UAV’s in combat.
The GUR said after his death: “The occupier is directly involved in the full-scale invasion of Russia and the commission of war crimes against Ukraine.
“The GUR of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine reminds that there will be a fair retribution for every war crime.”
Reports in Ukraine said he was killed “because during his life he was a terrorist and killed peaceful Ukrainians”.