Lt. Col. Nikolai Gorban, 36, was a commander in the FSB’s special forces and died “somewhere in Ukraine on August 2,” InformNapalm journalist Andrei Pavlusko reported. The circumstances of Gorban’s death have not been disclosed. He is believed to be the most senior FSB agent – once Putin’s chief – to be killed during the invasion of Ukraine. An official report mourning his loss stated that Gorban “took part in the conduct of military activities and special operations both in Russia and abroad. “During the execution of combat missions, he proved himself to be a courageous and determined officer. He was proud of his service in the Russian FSB.” This image reported by Ukrainian journalists purports to show Gorban’s temporary memorial and obituary. social media/e2w Ukrainian “Grad” fires at Russian front-line positions in the Kharkiv region on August 2 — the day Gorban was assassinated.AP The report also said Gorban, the son of a soldier, previously fought in Syria and was awarded two Medals of Valor. He is survived by a wife and three sons. In another Kremlin strike, Colonel Vasily Kleshchenko, commander of the military air force, was also listed as dead. Kleshchenko was deputy head of the 344th combat use and retraining center for helicopter pilots and snipers. The latest deaths show how President Putin’s war is bleeding commanders into his armed forces and security services. Last week, Russian forces lost Olga “Korsa” Kachura, 52, the first female colonel to die in the Ukraine war. Colonel Vasily Kleshchenko, commander of the military aviation, was listed as dead. Svetlana Samodelova Russian colonel Olga “Korsa” Kachura, 52, became the first female officer of this rank to die in the Ukrainian war. social media / East2west News He was a colonel in the forces of the Russian-backed Donetsk People’s Republic in Ukraine, where he commanded a rocket artillery division. Putin posthumously awarded her the honor of Hero of Russia “for courage and heroism shown in the performance of military duty.” Russia has also seen at least 10 of its generals killed in the war, although the Kremlin has so far confirmed the deaths of only four. Meanwhile, on Sunday, British defense services said that due to the “poor performance” of Russian forces in Ukraine, the Kremlin is “very likely” to have sacked at least six commanders since hostilities began on February 24. The UK Ministry of Defense said in its latest bulletin that General Aleksandr Chayko stepped down as commander of the Eastern Military District in May. General Aleksandr Dvornikov, who was in overall command of the operation in Ukraine, was dismissed. The Ministry of Defense/British services east2west reported on Sunday that General Alexander Tchaiko was removed from his post as commander of the Eastern Military District in May. Colonel-General Aleksandr Zhuravlev, who has commanded the Western Military District since 2018, was absent from Russia’s Navy Day in St. Petersburg on July 31 and was likely replaced by General Vladimir Kochetkov. British intelligence also reported that General Aleksandr Dvornikov, who was in overall command of the operation in Ukraine, was subsequently removed and General Sergei Surovikin took over command of Force Group South from General Gennady Zhidko. “The cumulative effect on command consistency is likely to contribute to Russia’s tactical and operational difficulties,” the Defense Department concluded.