A top Russian commander, believed to be one of Vladimir Putin's ace undercover generals was caught in his underwear by Ukrainian forces, according to reports. According to Ukrainian authorities, Lieutenant Colonel Koshel Alexander Olegovich, like so many others before him, evaded being killed in action and was arrested but in his underpants.
Olegovich, 39, was found hiding in just his underwear and socks, when Ukrainian forces captured him from his hideout in Ukraine on Monday. He was made a prisoner of war. However, the undercover general was later given a t-shirt and hoodie by Ukrainian forces, according to local media reports.
Hiding in Just His Underwear
Olegovich was arrested during an operation on Monday by the 128th Separate Mountain Assault Zakarpattia Brigade. "During the battle with the Russian army, the members of the 128th Separate Mountain Assault Brigade captured the head of the information and psychological counteraction group of the 47084th military unit of the Russian army," the Brigade's fighters posted on Facebook.
Olegovich is believed to be one of Putin's most trusted lieutenants and is the latest commander to be taken as a prisoner of war.
"He was found (in his) underwear and socks, marked with the Armed Forces of Ukraine," the post read.
Following his arrest, photographs of Olegovich holding his passport appeared on social media. However, there has been no word yet from Russia on Olegovich's arrest. It is also not known what he was doing in his underwear in the middle of action between the Russian and Ukrainian forces.
He is thought to have been discovered near the place where the unit he was with was killed, although the exact location has not been revealed. It's unclear how close Olegovich is to the Russian power structure, but given that he was there undercover, he could have been a close ally Putin, according to sources.
Russia Continues to Suffer Losses
According to reports, Olegovich didn't suffer any injury during his arrest and is doing well. "Nobody was injured in the enemy fire. The captive was taken to a safe place in the rear," said the soldiers of the 128th Brigade.
The news comes as Russia continues to incur heavy losses that includes the killing of 14 top commanders. Besides, on Monday, leaked Russian mortality numbers revealed that the death toll is significantly greater than the Kremlin has claimed.
According to the Russian tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda, approximately 10,000 of Putin's men have been killed since the battle with Ukraine began on February 24, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense.
According to the leaked records, 9,861 soldiers have died, far more than the most recent official figures, which were in the hundreds.
The Wall Street Journal's chief international affairs correspondent, Yaroslav Trofimov, shared the discovery on Twitter today (Monday, March 21).
Also, Russia has lost a large number of tanks and other armored vehicles as the war entered its 27th day.
