Vladimir Andonov

"The Executioner"

War Criminal

Unit: Reconnaissance Control Group, Wagner PMC

Cargo ID: #226

Full Name: Vladimir "Vakha" Andonov

Russian Name: Андонов Владимир "Палач"

A Russian mercenary who gained notoriety for ruthlessly butchering hundreds of war prisoners and civilians in the Donbas region has been killed during intense fighting with Ukrainian forces. Vladimir Andonov, 44, also known as "The Executioner" for his brutality in previous wars he served in Syria and Libya, was shot dead by a Ukrainian sniper in Kharkiv.

Andonov, a member of the notorious Wagner Group of Russian mercenaries, was allegedly also engaged in the shooting of Ukrainian POWs during the Donbas conflict in 2014. It comes after a group of independent journalists reported that Vladimir Putin lost two of his most senior officers in a single day in a catastrophic bridge ambush in eastern Ukraine.

Andonov, a native of Russia's Far East province of Buryatia, is believed to have been killed in the Kharkiv region of eastern Ukraine. Zhambal-Zhamso Zhanaev, the head of the territory where Andonov lived, confirmed his death to Russian newspaper Moskovskij Komsomolets.

"The death in Ukraine of Vladimir Andonov, better known as Vaha, has become known," the publication reported. "He died last night during a reconnaissance of the area together with his friend," it added.

Andonov's death is yet another blow to Putin, who has already lost over a score of commanders and other top-ranking military officers in his fight against Ukraine. Andonov had boasted about the mission to Russian media, claiming that his unit had been ordered to "destroy all the forces of the enemy " and that "there were no survivors" of the attack.