A Facebook claim by a Ukrainian journalist was later backed by western officials that Colonel Yuri Medvedev was deliberately run over by a tank by a soldier, apparently angered by heavy losses in their tank battalion. Initial reports were that he had died, but that has since been disputed.

Source: Mail Online

A Russian soldier drove a tank over his commanding officer to protest the huge number of losses suffered by his unit in Ukraine, a Ukrainian journalist has claimed.

The claim followed footage allegedly showing Russian Colonel Yuri Medvedev being stretchered into a hospital after suffering severe injuries to his legs.

According to Roman Tsymbaliuk, who was said to have been the last Ukrainian journalist in Russia before fleeing the country in January, Medvedev was run over by one of his own soldiers who was angered by heavy losses suffered by the unit.

Tsymbaliuk said in a Facebook post on Tuesday that the tank battalion of 1,500 troops had lost around half its strength to either death or injury.

'A soldier, choosing a convenient moment during the battle, ran over his brigade commander, Colonel Yuri Medvedev, with a tank, injuring both his legs,' Tsimbalyuk wrote in his report to his followers.