A Russian general, whose brigade has been accused of torturing and killing a Texan fighter for the Kremlin, Russell Bentley, has died in Ukraine, according to several reports.
Major General Pavel Klimenko commanded the Fifth Separate Motor Rifle Brigade in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic.
Klimenko, 47, has been reported dead by several Russian military bloggers, including Vazhnye Istorii (Important Stories), a Russian investigative journalism platform, which said Klimenko’s sisters had confirmed his death on social media.
According to U.S.-funded media outlet Radio Free Europe, he died on Thursday. One of his sisters also confirmed the death to ASTRA, an independent Russia-Ukraine war reporting Telegram channel.
It is not clear how Klimenko died. Newsweek has contacted the Russian Defense Ministry for comment.
Klimenko, who was originally from Stavropol, Russia, served in annexed Crimea before the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022—he was promoted to major general in May this year.