Top Russian Black Sea Fleet Commander Shot Dead in Ukraine: Report

People dig a grave for victims killed in the Ukraine-Russia conflict in a street in the besieged city of Mariupol, Ukraine, on March 20, 2022. Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters

Andrei Nikolayevich Paliy, a senior commander of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, has reportedly been killed while fighting at a Ukrainian port city, two top officials said in a statement.

“Captain 1st Rank Andrei Nikolayevich Paliy was killed in the fighting [near Mariupol],” RFE/RL reported, citing a Telegram post by Sevastopol Gov. Mikhail Razvozhayev. The Russian navy has not immediately confirmed the latest military leader’s death.