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Russian Colonel-General Gennady Zhidko died in Moscow "after a long illness," Governor of Khabarovsk Mikhail Degtyarev said on Aug. 16. The commander was 57 years old.
Zhidko led Russian troops in Ukraine for a number of months in the spring and summer of 2022. In October 2022, Russia’s Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu officially announced that General Sergei Surovikin had taken over Zhidko's position.
Zhidko was the former commander of the Eastern Military District and Russia’s deputy defense minister for military and political affairs. He was previously the chief of staff of the Russian Armed Forces in Syria.
In March 2022, Zhidko was included in a U.S. sanctions list as one of 11 key military leaders in of the Russian armed forces.