Russia has put Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valeriy Zaluzhny on the wanted list. Information about this was found by Mediazona in the search database of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The Investigative Committee reported in May that it charged Zaluzhny and other Ukrainian military leaders in absentia because of “shelling of civilians and civilian objects in Donbass” (Article 356 of the Criminal Code ).
Screenshot of MIA/Mediazone database
At the same time, Russian pro-government publications and telegram channels began to write without citing sources that Zaluzhny missed a public event because he died during a Russian missile attack near Kherson. Later, the version changed: a source from RIA Novosti claimed that the head of the Ukrainian General Staff received a “head injury”, due to which he would no longer be able to do his job, and underwent surgery. Other publications wrote that he was «in a coma or hard drinking.»
A few days later, Ukraine had to refute these rumors. Several videos of Zaluzhny were published, in which, among other things, allegations of his injury were ridiculed. Pro-government publications, following RIA Novosti, then began to quote the blog of a certain “former Pentagon employee Stephen Brian”, who called the video of Colonel Anatoly Stefan of the Armed Forces of Ukraine fake because of the color of Zaluzhny’s eyes. Russia has also added other Ukrainian military personnel against whom a case has been opened — Commander of the Joint Forces of Ukraine Sergey Naev, Commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrsky and Commander of the Sever Operational Command Vladimir Kravchenko.
Updated at 17:39. Added information about the search for other Ukrainian commanders, except Zaluzhny.