Deputy Head of the Russian Navy, Major General Mikhail Gudkov, has been killed in Ukraine, the Russian military said on Thursday.
Gudkov, 42 who was appointed to the top naval post in March, was killed on Wednesday “during combat work in one of the border districts of Kursk region,” which is next to Ukraine, the Defence Ministry said in a statement.
Russian war bloggers said the deceased had been in overall command of marines advancing in Ukraine’s neighbouring Sumy region and the navy’s coastal rocket and artillery forces and all of the navy’s marine units. He is one of the most senior Russian military officers to have been killed since Moscow launched its full-scale war against Ukraine in 2022.
Mourning Ongoing
In the far eastern port city of Vladivostok, the home base of Russia’s Pacific Fleet, on Thursday mourners left flowers near an outdoor portrait of Gudkov, part of a photo exhibition celebrating officers Russia regards as military heroes.
Putin had singled Gudkov out for praise in March when he appointed him, saying that the 155th Marine brigade which he commanded, part of Russia’s Pacific Fleet, was an elite unit and one of the best Russia had.
Russian war blogger ‘Romanov Light’ said Gudkov was regarded by troops as one of the most effective commanders and as one of the few to tell superiors the real situation on the ground rather than what they wanted to hear. Before his promotion, Gudkov had led his marine brigade through fighting inside Ukraine, including in combat around Kyiv, and had taken part in the storm of the port city of Mariupol, before eventually going on to fight in the Kursk region.
