Russia has confirmed that Major General Mikhail Gudkov, the deputy head of its navy, was killed during combat operations in the border region of Kursk. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Gudkov died on Wednesday while “carrying out combat work,” though details remain limited.
Unofficial Russian and Ukrainian military Telegram channels earlier reported that Gudkov was killed in a Ukrainian missile strike on a command post using a U.S.-supplied HIMARS system. However, Reuters has not independently verified the circumstances of his death.
Gudkov, 42, was one of the most senior Russian officers to be killed since the start of the war in Ukraine in 2022. He had previously commanded a marine brigade of the Pacific Fleet and was placed in charge of the navy’s coastal and land forces, including marine units.
Flowers are placed near a board with a photograph of Major General Mikhail Gudkov, the deputy head of the Russian Navy who, according to local authorities, was recently killed in the Kursk region amid Russia-Ukraine conflict, at an exhibition of distinguished Russian soldiers’ portraits in the far eastern city of Vladivostok, Russia, July 3, 2025. REUTERS/Tatiana Meel
A rising military figure
In February, Gudkov received a top state honor directly from Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin. In March, he was appointed deputy commander-in-chief of the Russian navy. Regional governor Oleg Kozhemyako said Gudkov was killed while “carrying out his duty as an officer” and expressed condolences to his family and the families of others killed.
A video posted alongside Kozhemyako’s statement showed him awarding Gudkov a medal, followed by battlefield footage set to a patriotic Russian song.
“When he became deputy chief of the navy, he did not stop personally visiting the positions of our marines,” Kozhemyako wrote on Telegram.
No comment from Ukraine
Ukraine has not commented officially on Gudkov’s death. Ukrainian officials have previously accused Gudkov and his subordinates of war crimes in the conflict—claims that Moscow has denied.
A view shows the site of the Russian drone strike, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Poltava, Ukraine July 3, 2025. REUTERS/Vyacheslav Madiyevskyy
Gudkov’s death adds to a growing list of senior Russian commanders eliminated during the ongoing war. At least ten other top military figures have been killed in action or targeted by Ukrainian forces since 2022.
Public tribute and battlefield history
In Vladivostok, Gudkov’s home base as part of the Pacific Fleet, flowers were laid in front of his photograph displayed in an outdoor exhibition honoring distinguished Russian military officers.
Gudkov had also commanded forces that operated in Ukraine’s offensive in Kursk in 2024, when parts of the region were briefly seized by Ukrainian troops. Russia claimed earlier this year to have regained control.
