According to reports, ‘Vladimir Putin’s elite’ fighters sustained huge losses during brutal battle in Ukraine.
The 331st Guards Parachute Regiment is regarded as one of the most deadly and well-trained units in the Russian army, having fought for the Donbass city of Ilovaisk in 2014.

However, their participation in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has revealed how the invasion has not gone as planned owing to the amount of casualties they have incurred, according to the Mirror.

On March 13, the regiment’s commanding commander, Col Sergei Sukharev, and deputy Major Sergei Krylov were murdered in Ukraine, a devastating loss to any military force.

According to the BBC, at least 37 additional soldiers of the 331st have died in Ukraine in the month since the invasion began.

The guys were part of a column that marched into Ukraine from Belarus, headed by Russia’s airborne forces, with the goal of taking Kyiv.

They, like many other troops, were rapidly bogged down by severe resistance combat and logistical obstacles.

Videos circulating online show destroyed and abandoned cars with the VDV – the insignia for Russia’s airborne military – in communities surrounding the city.

While the Kremlin has remained tight-lipped about the deaths of its servicemen in Ukraine, Russians have been paying respect to fallen soldiers on the social networking site V’Kontakte.

Sergeant Sergei Duganov, a member of the 331st, has established one.

According to the BBC, one woman commented, “Nobody knows anything.”

“The 331st regiment is being phased out. Photos of our Kostroma guys are released almost every day. It sends chills up my spine. What’s going on? When will this be over? When will humans be able to cease dying?”