Ukraine forces say Chechen commander Magomed Tushayev killed near Kyiv

March 3 (UPI) -- Ukrainian military officials say Chechen-Russian Gen. Magomed Tushayev, who has been accused of torturing and killing LGBTQ+ people in the past, was killed fighting in Ukraine.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces said Tushayev was killed Saturday in fighting north of Kyiv.

"Magomed Tushayev, the head of the 141st Motorized Regiment of the Kadyrov Guard, was destroyed!" the Ukrainian Armed Forces said in a tweet.

Tushayev was commanding a Chechen armored column in Ukraine when he was killed. Chechnya is a Muslim-majority constituent republic in southern Russia that has feuded with Moscow for years. Tushayev has been accused of killing LGBTQ+ Chechens in recent years during a violent crackdown ordered by Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov.

On Saturday, a convoy of 56 Chechen tanks was targeted by Ukrainian missile fire near the town of Hostomel and was wiped out, the Kyiv Independent reported.

A reporter for the Independent said that Tushayev was killed by Ukraine's elite Alpha Group.

The Chechen fighters were sent to assassinate Ukraine President Zelensky, according to Ukrainian security official Oleksiy Danilov.

Russian newspaper Pravda reported that Ukrainian forces received information about Tushayev's convoy and mission from someone claiming to be a Russian intelligence officer.