Aleksey Kolomeitsev, a Russian colonel who trained specialists in the use of attack drones, was killed in the city of Kolomna in Moscow Oblast, Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) reported on Sept. 28.
Kolomeitsev, 51, led Russia's 924th State Center of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), a military unit responsible for training specialists to operate combat drones. The unit specialized in the use of Shahed drones, which Russia employs daily in mass aerial attacks against Ukraine.
Kolomeitsev was found dead in Russia on Sept. 27, HUR reported.
The Russian colonel was "directly involved in Russia's full-scale invasion and war crimes against Ukraine," HUR said.
While HUR did not disclose the details of Kolomeitsev's death or claim direct responsibility for the killing, the post said that "every war crime will be punished with justice."
Kolomeitsev is not the first Russian to die in similar circumstances in recent weeks – HUR said on Sept. 16 that a Kremlin propagandist had been killed in the Russian city of Belgorod.
In a post on Telegram, HUR claimed Aleksandr Korobov died on Sept. 15 after his skull was "crushed."
According to Russian news outlets, Korobov was heavily injured in an apparent assassination attempt.
Korobov – nicknamed "Crab" – appeared as a war correspondent on Kremlin state media channel, Russia 1, and HUR said he also headed its Belgorod branch.
"The propagandist not only prepared false materials about the war, but also personally participated in the commission of serious war crimes against Ukraine," military intelligence said, adding that Korobov regularly worked in occupied areas of Ukraine.
While HUR did not claim responsibility for the attack, the post included both current and former home addresses for Korobov, and noted he "periodically visited Moscow according to instructions."
The Kyiv Independent contacted HUR for confirmation of who was behind the attack. It replied with a smiling face with sunglasses emoji.
Chris York
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