Russian warlord who led Neo-Nazi ‘Sparta’ battalion shot dead in Ukraine in fresh blow to Putin’s stalled invasion

A RUSSIAN warlord who led the Neo-Nazi Sparta Battalion has been shot dead in Ukraine in another major blow for Vladimir Putin’s stalled invasion. Vladimir Zhoga was killed during battle in the eastern Ukrainian town of Volnovakha on Saturday. Not known, clear with picture deskVladimir Zhoga was shot dead by Ukrainian troops on Saturday[/caption] Denis Pushilin, who heads the breakaway Ukrainian territory of Donetsk, confirmed the kill on his Telegram channel. “Today, the commander of the Sparta separate reconnaissance battalion, Guards Col. Vladimir Zhoga (nom de guerre Vokha), died like a hero in Volnovakha,” he wrote. According to Pushilin, the commander was killed during an operation to evacuate civilians from Volnovakha – one of cities where Russian troops violated a ceasefire agreement on Saturday. Zhoga joined Russian-backed rebels in 2014 – the same year in which the Sparta Battalion, a Neo-Nazi militia that has the support of Moscow, was created. The group is behind a wave of deadly attacks against Ukrainian troops and has been waging war in the Donbass region since hostilities broke out eight years ago. Its former leader, Arsen Pavlov, known as Motorola, was accused of war crimes in Kyiv and died when he was blown up an explosive device in 2016. Zhoga’s death is another major blow for Putin after he lost two top military chiefs this week and his army fails to make territorial gains as fast as previously expected. Most read in The Sun DEJI VS ALEX WASSABI Wassabi WINS on split decision after spectator invades the ring SOAP 'BUST-UP' Corrie's Tina O'Brien 'smashed ex Ryan Thomas's car with bat in 1am row' WARPATH Putin's direct threat to UK as he rages at ‘declaration of WAR’ sanctions AGING GRACEFULLY People can't believe I'm 90, I look much younger & here's my simple trick WARNIE'S FINAL HOURS Shane's last moments revealed before pal realised 'something's wrong' LOCK STOCK I worked at Primark & here are the shop secrets customers have NO idea about Major General Andrei Sukhovetsky was reportedly killed at the battle for Hostomel Airfield about 30 miles outside the capital Kyiv. Ukrainian soldiers fought off a Spetsnaz special forces air assault there — and his loss could explain why Russian forces failed to secure the airfield as well as why the assault on Kyiv had stalled. It was also revealed that Ukrainian snipers also picked off a Kremlin regional and a divisional commander. Read our Russia – Ukraine live blog for the very latest updates It comes as… Boris Johnson is to present a six-point plan of action to world leaders on how to deal with Putin Ukraine claims it has now killed 11,000 Russian soldiers as yesterday nine of Putin’s aircraft were shot downPutin issued a direct threat to the UK as he raged at sanctions “akin to a declaration of war”SAS and US commandos are reportedly training for a rescue mission to save President Volodymyr ZelenskyyVisa and Mastercard suspended operations in Russia dealing Putin another major blowCancer-stricken kids are trapped in war-torn Ukraine – as doctors tell them the bombs are just fireworksHeartbreaking pictures show the extent of Ukraine’s refugee crisis – with 1.5million fleeing for their livesBritish firms helping Putin’s henchmen must face the full force of the law, said David Davis MP Western officials believe Russian top brass are exposing themselves on the frontline to spearhead drained and untrained rank-and-file troops. One said: “That’s an indication of some degree of frustration and some degree of lack of progress – and they’re trying to impose their personality on the battlefield and putting themselves at personal risk.” They said Putin’s commanders have been knocked for six and suffered a “psychological impact” by the “ferocity of the fighting”. East2WestGen Sukhovetsky is the most senior officer known to have died[/caption] Parents Fedor and Marina Yatsko weeping over their baby son Kirill’s dead body in a Mariupol hospital after a ceasefire was violated by Russian troops