Russian Navy deputy head killed by Ukraine, says Moscow

Source: Reuters

Russian Navy deputy head killed by Ukraine, says Moscow

Andrew Osborn and Lidia Kelly
Thu, July 3, 2025 at 5:32 AM EDT
3 min read

(Reuters) -Major General Mikhail Gudkov, deputy head of the Russian Navy and a former commander of a marine brigade fighting against Ukraine, has been killed in action, depriving Moscow of one of its most senior officers, the Russian military said on Thursday.

Gudkov, who was handed a top military honour in the Kremlin by Russian President Vladimir Putin in February, was killed on Wednesday "during combat work in one of the border districts of Kursk region," the Defence Ministry said in a statement.

Unofficial Russian and Ukrainian military Telegram channels had earlier reported that Gudkov had been killed, along with other servicemen and officers, in a Ukrainian missile attack on a command post in Russia's Kursk region, which borders Ukraine, with a U.S.-made HIMARS missile.

Reuters could not independently verify how Gudkov, 42, whose call sign was 'Viking', died or what he was doing in Kursk. Some Russian war bloggers said he had been in overall command of marines advancing in Ukraine's neighbouring Sumy region.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.yahoo.com/news/deputy-head-russian-navy-killed-093205085.html