Colonel-General Yuriy Sadovenko, a longtime Russian military officer who served as deputy defense minister from 2013 until his dismissal in May 2024, died suddenly on Christmas Day at age 56, according to Russian state media.
Officials said Sadovenko died of heart disease. There were no prior public reports indicating he had serious health problems.
Sadovenko was a career army officer and held a senior role within Russia’s military leadership during the early years of the war in Ukraine. He was widely regarded as a well-connected figure inside the defense establishment.
Western media outlets have described Sadovenko as a key insider due to his close working relationship with senior officials, including former Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, earning him a reputation as a so-called “keeper of secrets.” (RELATED: Russia Claims Attack On Putin Residence As Trump Voices Anger, Ukraine Denies Involvement)
He was sanctioned by Western governments, including the United States and the United Kingdom, early in Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Sadovenko died roughly 18 months after his removal from office during a Kremlin-led shake-up of Russia’s military leadership following Russia’s failure to capture Kyiv or achieve decisive advances east of the Dnieper River. Russian media have offered little information beyond the official cause of death. (RELATED: Russia Could Turn The Arctic Into Its Next Battleground After Ukraine)
The U.S. Sun reported additional details regarding Sadovenko’s sudden death:
His personal life had already exploded into scandal.
Sadovenko’s wife, Maria Kitaeva, 42, left him for another deputy defence minister, Timur Ivanov, 50, in a sex scandal that rocked Putin’s high command.
Putin later fired Ivanov, another Shoigu ally, who was then jailed for major corruption.
International outlets have noted his passing amid a broader pattern of sudden or unexplained deaths among Russian officials and military figures since the start of the Ukraine war.
In the past week alone, Russian authorities also confirmed the death of Lt. Col. Stanislav “Spaniard” Orlov, 44, who commanded a widely known battalion of football hooligans that fought in Ukraine. Though there is no verified evidence that Sadovenko’s death was the result of foul play.
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