Reported by the Russian newspaper Kommersant on January 3, Ukraine has confirmed the elimination of Igor Trifonov, a former Russian police general. Trifonov, notorious for his corruption, had been serving a prison sentence in Russia before joining the invasion forces in Ukraine.
Olga Kezik, Trifonov's lawyer, disclosed that the general, who led the police in Yekaterinburg from 2011 to 2017 and later oversaw the Interior Ministry in the Russian region of Karachay-Cherkessia until 2019, had long aimed to secure a contract with the Russian Defense Ministry. His aspiration led him to participate in the war against Ukraine in late 2023. According to Kezik, Trifonov's goal was to "win," a feat he ultimately did not achieve. The news of his death was relayed to his wife on January 2.
Trifonov's criminal background includes a conviction in August 2022 for illegal possession of weapons and bribery, leading to a nine-year and four-month term in a maximum-security prison.
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This incident is part of a larger pattern of losses for Russia in the ongoing conflict. Ukraine's military has reported the elimination of approximately 361,500 Russian military personnel since the beginning of the full-scale invasion on February 22, 2022.
This number includes those killed or severely wounded to the extent that they are no longer able to partake in hostilities against Ukraine. This tally also reportedly includes Russian Major General Vladimir Zavadsky, the deputy commander of the 14th Army Corps.
The Ukrainian military's use of the term “eliminated” in this context refers to personnel who have been either killed or incapacitated. The ongoing conflict continues to result in significant human and material losses on both sides.
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