The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense claimed that a Russian general was killed near Kharkiv, but a senior U.S. military official said that the United States cannot confirm it. A short statement from Ukrainian Defense officials offered no proof of the death of Maj. Gen. Vitaly Gerasimov and provided few details on when he was killed. They said he was killed during fighting in Kharkiv. Ukraine said Gerasimov is a “Russian military commander, major general, chief of staff and first deputy commander of the 41st Army of the Central Military District of Russia” and added that he was a veteran in Russian campaigns in Syria and Chechnya. “A number of senior Russian army officers were also killed and wounded,” the Ukrainian Defense Ministry statement added. In a call with reporters on Tuesday, the U.S. military official, who requested anonymity, said that “we cannot confirm that the general has been killed,” referring to Gerasimov. The Department …