Ukraine’s Top General Injured Near Kherson

Some Russian sources have reported that General Valery Zaluzhny was struck by shrapnel and injured in the head during a Russian missile strike on the Ukrainian forces command post in the Posad-Pokrovske village in the northwest of Kherson, Located by the Black Sea and on the Dnieper River.

The top general was taken to a hospital in Mykolaiv (Nikolaev) city and then transferred to a military hospital in the Ukrainian capital city Kiev for skull surgery, reports said.

The missile attack took place in early May and General Zaluzhny has not appeared in public since that time. Furthermore, reports say that his underlying type 2 diabetes caused complication of his treatment process. Thus, it is likely that he would not be able to continue his duties as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine if Zaluzhny survives.

Regardless of such reports, some officials from the National Security Council and the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine ruled out such allegations, which have been publicized by Russian media and the authorities claim that Zaluzhny has recently met and held talks with other Ukrainian commanders as well as President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Russians’ speculations about Zaluzhny’s injury and the validity of Russian statements arose after the top Ukrainian general did not attend a NATO senior commanders’ meeting on May 10, 2023 as well as the release of old photos of the top general intensified the rumors.