A Russian National Guard spokesman has been killed in Ukraine, a veterans' organization said on Tuesday.

Colonel Sergei Postnov served as a war correspondent in the so-called "intelligence response group" of the National Guard, the Russian Interior Ministry veterans' council announced.

The group said Postnov died "while performing military service", but did not identify the cause of death, reports

moscowtimes

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Postnov reportedly performed many combat roles in Ukraine for more than four months.

The officer was part of a "V" unit that infiltrated the town of Hostomel on the northern outskirts of Kiev in the early days of the occupation in February and March.

When Russian troops later withdrew from the area, Postnov took part in the occupation of towns and cities in the Kharkiv and Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine, the group of Russian veterans announced.

According to the official biography, Postnov graduated from the Military University of the Russian Ministry of Defense with a degree in culture and journalism in 2002.

He served as correspondent and editor in two military publications before being assigned to the National Guard headquarters.

Independent media reports using reliable sources suggest that at least 3,000 Russian soldiers have been killed in Ukraine - more than double the official death toll released by the Kremlin on March 25.

/ Telegraphy /