A top Russian general who was in charge of the country’s troops in Ukraine during fierce fighting last year has died in Moscow at the age of 57. The death of Colonel General Gennady Zhidko was announced by a regional Russian governor on Wednesday who said only that he had died after a “long illness.” Zhidko previously commanded the Eastern Military District, served as deputy defense minister, and according to numerous reports, was the top man in charge in Ukraine for several months last summer. He was sanctioned by the U.S., U.K. and the European Union for his role in Moscow’s war machine.