Yet another Kremlin critic is dead. Russian military blogger Andrey Morozov reportedly killed himself Wednesday, though his lawyer has not confirmed the cause of death. Associates indicate he shot himself. In posts on Telegram, the prominent ultra-nationalist commentator said he had been under pressure to delete a post revealing the staggering number of Russian casualties in the fight for Avdiivka, a Ukrainian city captured by Russian forces last week, the Guardian reports. On Sunday, Morozov told his 120,000 followers that Russia had lost 16,000 men and 300 armored vehicles in the months-long fight for the city, a figure close to Ukrainian estimates.
The New York Times describes Morozov, who took part in the invasion of Ukraine two years ago, as a "rare remaining critical voice in the once boisterous, competitive community of Russian military bloggers." He supported the war but criticized the military for concealing the death toll, saying soldiers who tried to tell civilian officials about heavy losses were ignored. In his final posts on Telegram on Tuesday, Morozov said he had been threatened and intimidated. He said he deleted the post about Avdiivka casualties after a colonel told him his unit wouldn't get new equipment if it stayed up. "I am executing myself, if no one has the courage of doing this petty deed themselves," he wrote.
Ukraine also took heavy losses in Avdiivka. Sources tell the New York Times that up to 1,000 soldiers may have been captured during the retreat. Ukrainian authorities say the loss of the city, Russia's biggest victory in Ukraine since May last year, was the result of the US failure to approve an aid package, reports Reuters. Vladimir Putin praised the "absolute success" Tuesday and told Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu that it "needs to be built on." Western officials, speaking to the Guardian on condition of anonymity, say they believe the Russian leader has not given up on his goal of completely defeating Ukraine. (More Russia-Ukraine war stories.)
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