Near Popasna, Ukrainian paratroopers killed retired Russian Air Force Major General Kanamat Botashev. This is the highest-ranking Russian pilot eliminated in Ukraine. He was a sniper pilot - this is the highest class in this military specialization.. The fact that it was Batashev who could have been at the helm of the downed SU-25 was first noticed by the Military Portal, based on discussions in Russian communities devoted to military aviation, and the next day the Russian service of the BBC reported this with reference to Botashev's former subordinates.

Botashev was on a mission on a Su-25 Grach attack aircraft, shot down on May 22 from an Igla MANPADS by paratroopers of the 80th separate air assault brigade based in Lvov. This was reported by the Command of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

63-year-old Kanamat Botashev is the highest-class Russian pilot liquidated in Ukraine. He has the class of a sniper pilot and the rank of major general.. According to Alexander Zelin, Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Air Force, it takes 10-12 years to train a pilot of this class and it costs about $8 million..

Interestingly, at the time of the start of Russia's large-scale aggression against Ukraine, Botashev was retired, and it is still unclear how he was involved in the combat mission.. However, according to the BBC, at least nine retired Russian soldiers who were in their 50s have already died in Ukraine.. This may indicate the complexity of the tasks that the Kremlin sets for military pilots, or the lack of adequate personnel..

[see_also ids\u003d"

Recall that in Ukraine, the nephew of the Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Yunus-Bek Yevkurov, Adam Khamkhoev, was also liquidated..