A leading Russian general who briefly led the Ukraine invasion has been found dead. Colonel general Gennady Zhidko, 58, held a string of top military positions and was named a ‘Hero of Russia ’ six years ago, which is the country’s highest honorary title. He was the commander of the failing war effort last year before Russian leader Vladimir Putin replaced him with General Sergei ‘Armageddon’ Surovikin. The Readovka news publication reported General Zhidko died following a ‘lengthy illness’. The general was in charge of Putin’s ‘special military operation’ between April and October last year and was known as having one of the ‘best military brains in Russia’. He had taken over from General Alexander Dvornikov, known as the ‘Butcher of Syria’ for leading Russia’s intervention in the country’s civil war in 2015. But following Russia’s failure to grab the city of Kharkiv, General Zhidko was ousted by Putin. The general had been deputy minister of defence, deputy chief of the armed forces general staff, chief of Putin’s troops in Syria, and had commanded Russia’s Eastern Military District. The West made many sanctions against General Zhidko at the time. Little has been seen of him since he was purged and details about his death, including where he died, are not yet known. The governor of the Khabarovsk region, Mikhail Degtyarev, confirmed the general’s death and expressed his condolences, but no official announcement has been made. General Zhidko’s replacement, General Surovikin, was also demoted from his role shortly after and chief of the general staff, Valery Gerasimov, was put in charge of the invasion effort. General Surovikin remained his deputy, but it is thought he was detained after he mysteriously vanished following the failed Wagner coup in June . Sources suggested he had advance knowledge of the bodged mutiny. General Gerasimov, 67, was also purged last month – less than six months after he was appointed – in the latest of Putin’s string of firings. It is thought he will however remain in charge of the Russian armed forces as chief of the general staff. According to Russian media, he has been replaced by Colonel General Mikhail Teplinskiy. In the latest on the war, a notorious former Russian spy chief has accused Putin of failures in an astonishing court rant . Vladimir Kvachkov, 75, said the Russian leader and his top staff were not ‘capable of waging a war’ after a Moscow court found him guilty of ‘discrediting the armed forces’. The governor of Ukraine’s Odesa region said Russian attack drones had damaged grain facilities and that 13 of the devices had been downed. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk . For more stories like this, check our news page . Privacy Policy