VLADIMIR Putin has lost his first female colonel in Ukraine. The Russian leader granted posthumous Hero of Russia honour \- the Kremlin's highest award \- to Olga ...Kursa... Kachura, 52, who was killed in a rocket attack on her car.
Olga ...Kursa' Kachura... died in a strike in Ukraine
The Colonel was instantly killed when a Ukrainian rocket hit her carEast2West She is the 97th known colonel to have been killed in Putin's war in Ukraine. She was a colonel in the forces of the Russian puppet state Donetsk People's Republic, where she commanded a rocket artillery division deployed against Ukraine. The Russian President said he had awarded her "for courage and heroism shown in the performance of military duty". According to local reports, she was killed instantly when a Ukrainian strike hit her car. READ MORE IN UKRAINE
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JEZ ARMS FURY Corbyn sparks fury after claiming Britain should NOT send weapons to Ukraine The news of her death was confirmed by Putin ally Margarita Simonyan who posted: "Legendary Korsa died in Horlivka... May she rest in peace…" Simonyan \- head of the sanctioned RT network \- added: "The Chief 'Putin ' awarded Korsa the title of Hero of Russia. "That's how it's supposed to be. These are our common heroes." Earlier today the Drama Theatre in Donetsk, where the funeral was being held, was hit by more Ukrainian strikes, reportedly causing several casualties. Most read in The US Sun 'SO TOXIC' Meghan McCain reveals cruel comment ex cohost said that made her quit The View DIET DANGERS The top 5 worst foods that could SHORTEN your life expectancy AIR THREAT China flies 22 jets into Taiwan airspace after firing 11 missiles in war drills VLADIM-EAR 'Sickly' Putin using body double with different EARS, claims Ukraine THIN KIM Kardashian fans fear for Kim's health as she looks 'skinnier than EVER' in pics KIM-COMPLETELY DONE? Kim's fans spot big 'clue' she has split from Pete Davidson in new pic Due to the damage caused, the ceremony was postponed. Simonyan claimed that a hotel where the RT film crew were based had been hit. "By some miracle, no one was seriously injured," she said. Kachura was a career police investigator rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel before switching to the forces of Putin-backed separatists. She served in the 3rd separate motorised rifle brigade Berkut of the 1st Army Corps of the DPR and commanded a Grad MLRS division in Horlivka. There were 140 gunners under her command.
She was posthumously awarded the Hero of Russia honour
The mum has been a colonel in the DPR since 2012East2West The mum-of-two had been wounded several times in previous attacks. She had held the rank of colonel in the DPR forces since 2015. Last year Ukraine sentenced her to 12 years in prison with confiscation of property for "participation in a terrorist group or terrorist organisation". She was head of the powerlifting federation of Horlivka, and an honorary citizen of the city, which was twinned with Barnsley in England. Mayor of Horlivka Ivan Prikhodko said: "A brave and wise woman who was there from the start of the People's Militia of the DPR has tragically died.... She had also been awarded the Hero of DPR award. Meanwhile, Putin has also lost two more colonels in his Russian forces, the latest proof of the devastating toll his high ranks have suffered. Paratrooper Lt Colonel Ivan Pozdeev served in the Kutuzov Airborne Assault brigade in Ulyanovsk. Acting Head of Komi Republic Vladimir Uyba said he "died as a hero during the special war operation in Ukraine". It also came to light that Lt Col Denis Sorokin, a married father of two, died near Melitopol earlier in the war. He was commander of an assault battalion, and also awarded the Hero of Russia posthumously.
She was also awarded the Hero of DPR awardEast2West
