Moment top Russian general is killed in drone strike after personal promotion by Putin for ‘fighting brilliantly’

THIS is the dramatic moment a favourite Vladimir Putin general is killed during a targeted Ukrainian drone strike in occupied Donetsk. FPV footage shows a safe house containing Major-General Anton Grunis get blown to pieces by a drone swarm. Dramatic footage shows the moment a high-flying Putin commander was killed in a drone strike Credit: East2West Major-General Anton Grunis, 46, had just been promoted by the dictator Credit: East2West The high-flying commander had just been personally promoted by the dictator for “fighting brilliantly” during the illegal war. Major Robert Brovdi, 51, commander of Ukraine’s fearsome drone unit, said the strike was carried out with “surgical precision”. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Brovdi said: “He is the seventh confirmed military commander to have been sent to his funeral by the Unmanned Systems Forces.” Grunis, 46, was tipped by Moscow’s propaganda media to become a future army marshal – the highest rank. Putin had hailed the fast-rising general as a supreme battlefield commander. Pro-war channels confirmed his death, which came just 18 days after he received the Gold Star of Hero of Russia – the country’s highest honour – and a ceremonial weapon. The Kremlin’s defence ministry has not made an official announcement. Ukrainian officer and blogger Anatoly Shtefan shared Grunis’s photograph saying he was “successfully demobilised”. Most read in The Sun Ukraine said the strike was carried out with ‘surgical precision’ Credit: East2West Grunis ‘The Terrible’ was known for his cruelty to soldiers Credit: East2West The exact circumstances are unknown, but Russia suspects details of his location were leaked from its own side. Grunis – nicknamed “The Terrible” – was reportedly known to servicemen and their relatives for his particular cruelty. He was also called the “lying general” for boasting to Putin about the “capture” of strategic Kostiantynivka, even though it remains under Ukrainian control. Soldiers serving under him accused the commander of “illegal detention of servicemen in basements and pits, [and] fraud involving servicemen’s money”. One demanded: “Stop the bloodshed, stop Grunis.” Pro-Putin media had predicted Grunis could rise to the rank of marshal. No serving Russian commander currently holds the rank, which has not been bestowed for almost 29 years. It comes after reports that a top Putin general was killed in a precision missile strike in occupied Donetsk. Grunis was touted to make the esteemed army marshal rank Credit: East2West Putin had personally thanked him for ‘fighting brilliantly’ Credit: East2West It was believed to be Lieutenant General Sergei Milchakov, 53, but it is now unclear if it was actually Grunis. Milchakov – a close Putin ally – is known for spearheading Moscow’s offensive across Ukraine‘s occupied Donetsk region. He commanded Russian forces involved in the capture of Avdiivka, New York and other settlements in the key battle-ground area. At the time, pro-war bloggers and propagandists reported the death of a military figure they described as a “Hero of Russia,” but did not publicly identify the individual by name. The strike comes just after a Russian commander was killed in a bomb blast at an elite Moscow restaurant. Lt-Gen Igor Yerusalimov, 53, was one of five killed in the attack that targeted the lavish party of the notorious Col-Gen Alexander Chayko. High-ranking military officers, politicians and top bureaucrats had gathered inside the exclusive Balzi Rossi, overlooking Moscow’s Kudrinskaya Square, when the home-made device detonated. Comment now