Images and videos shared on Twitter and Telegram purportedly show Lt. Gen. Andrei Sychevoi among a group of Russian soldiers with handcuffs on their knees with one social media user saying he was near Balakliya, Kharkiv region. Many noticed the resemblance of one of the captured men to other images of the Sychevoi. Nexta TV tweeted a screenshot of the alleged general next to an earlier image of Sychevoi in full regalia. “It seems that the Armed Forces of Ukraine arrested not the usual ‘lieutenant colonel’, but the commander of the ‘West’ group, General Andriy Sichevoi,” he said. A screenshot shared by social media channels Telegram shows Russian Lt. Gen. Andrei Shikhevoi (left) and an image purportedly captured by Ukrainian forces. Via Telegram The Lviv Journal tweeted a quote that said Russian troops after their arrest, with the message: “Time will tell if it is General Andrei Shikhovoi who appears in the video. “What I find interesting is that 6 Ukrainian soldiers surround him and look at him like he’s the big fish and the way he looks away from the camera [he surrendered after all]”, he added. Military analyst Rob Lee tweeted “Russian Telegram channels are already [pointing] the finger to Lt. Gen. Sychevoi who is the commander of the group “West” responsible for this area.” On the uniform of the man believed to be the Sychevoi are the two stars worn by the Russian lieutenant generals. Two stars can also be seen on the shoulders of his ceremonial uniform he is wearing in images shared on social media. “A striking resemblance, isn’t it?” wrote Twitter user Nordic Arctic Fox Operative, who also tweeted a combined image of the captured Russian with Sychevoi in his outfit. The arrest has not been confirmed, and Newsweek has reached out to the Ukrainian armed forces and the Russian Defense Ministry for comment. If verified, it would be a major coup for Ukraine, although other social media users have questioned whether it is actually Sychevoi. Open source intelligence analyst Oliver Alexander was among many who noticed a difference in the hairline and a mole on the face between the commander and the captive. There also seems to be some doubt about Sychevoi’s current role. When he was sanctioned by the European Union on February 28, he was the commander of the 8th Guards Combined Arms Army of the Southern Military District. But in June, the Conflict Intelligence Group [CIT] reported that according to its sources, Sychevoi, who was a former commander of the 8th Army, had taken up the position in the Western Military District. Analyst Lee said in a follow-up tweet that it appeared to have been replaced “a month ago,” citing a Russian Telegram channel. Rights group Charter 97 called Sychevoi, 53, who has held his current rank since 2019, “a war criminal of the highest order” who “orders the war against Ukraine”. Update 9/9/22 6:00 AM ET: This article has been updated to remove some unnecessary words. Update 9/9/22 5:40 am ET: This article has been updated to add additional commentary and content.
