Mikhail Gudkov, 42, is among the top Russian commanders killed in the war. The deputy commander of the Russian Navy, Mikhail Gudkov, was killed in Russia’s Kursk province, the Ministry of Defence confirmed. He is among the top Russian commanders killed since Russia began its all-out war against Ukraine over three years ago.
The 42-year-old Gudkov, who was inducted into the post by Russian President Vladimir Putin in March, perished “while participating in combat operations” in the border area on Wednesday, the state RIA news agency quoted the ministry as reporting on Thursday. Unofficial Russian and Ukrainian military Telegram groups indicated Gudkov and other Russian officers died from a Ukrainian missile strike against a command post in Kursk.
Kyiv forces took control of some Russian territory in a surprise August 2024 offensive. Though Moscow asserted in April that it had regained it in full, fighting in the region has persisted. Oleg Kozhemyako, governor of the Russian region of Primorye in the east, home to the country’s Pacific Fleet, stated Gudkov was killed during “fulfilling his duty as an officer.”.
The governor of the region also stated that the naval commander, until this year, commanded the fleet’s 155th Guards Naval Infantry Brigade. Even after he was appointed deputy chief of the navy, he didn’t cease to visit personally the outposts of our marines,” Kozhemyako wrote on Telegram. Moscow announced on Thursday that it had captured the eastern Ukrainian villages of Razine and Milove.
