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Paratrooper son, 23, of favoured Putin regional official killed in Ukraine as war ​directly ​touches Russian political elite

The father of a favoured Vladimir Putin regional official has lost his elite paratrooper son in the Ukraine war.

Georgy Dudorov, 23, died “while performing a combat mission”, when he was “shot by artillery” by Ukrainian defenders, according to Russian accounts.

His grieving father, KGB-trained Alexander Dudorov, 49, had been handpicked by Putin to construct the track in Sochi for the Formula 1 Grand Prix ahead of the first race in 2014, say reports.

His work was deemed high quality and the ultra-loyalist was moved from the private sector to take up a rapid succession of public jobs as he was groomed for a rapid rise by the president.

Dudorov senior is currently deputy governor of sprawling Nenets autonomous Okrug in Russian north, a key oil and gas region, where he is in charge of keeping public order.

He has been tipped for further promotion after impressing Putin.

The loss of his son is evidence the war is personally touching the Russian political elite.

Provided by Evening Standard Georgy Dudorov, 23, died “while performing a combat mission”, when he was “shot by artillery” by Ukrainian defenders (social media/e2w)

The slain paratrooper was “deputy commander of the reconnaissance company for military-political work of the 137th regiment of the 106th Tula Guards Airborne Division,” said a statement from the Russian Investigative Committee which described his death as “tragic”.

He had been a graduate of the committee’s cadet corps.

“It is known that on March 6, a convoy of his company was shot by artillery from Ukrainian nationalist detachments. Georgy was mortally wounded,” said a statement.

Another account said: “Face to face with danger, he honourably fulfilled his military duty to the Fatherland, receiving mortal wounds.”

Russian top state investigator Alexander Bastrykin, head of the committee and a former university classmate of Putin’s, awarded Dudorov a posthumous medal of valour and courage.

Dudorov senior was a graduate from the Red Banner School of the KGB at the end of Soviet times.

He is believed to have served in the FSB security service - one headed by Putin - after graduation.

He is a member of the leading pro-Putin political party, United Russia.

News of Dudorov’s death comes a day after a fourth Russian General was said by Ukraine to have died in the war.

Major-General Oleg Mityaev, 47, commander of the army’s feared 150th motorised rifle division, was said to have been killed in the storming of Mariupol.