Russian navy deputy killed in Ukrainian strike

Major General Mikhail Gudkov, who led a notorious Russian brigade accused of war crimes, was confirmed to have died in bombing in the Kursk region.

Major General Mikhail Gudkov died while 'carrying out his duty as an officer' TATIANA MEEL/REUTERS via The Times

The deputy head of the Kremlin’s navy has been killed in a Ukrainian attack in western Russia, it has been confirmed.

Major General Mikhail Gudkov, who also led a notorious Russian brigade accused of war crimes, is thought to have died when Ukrainian missiles hit a military base in the Kursk border region.

He is one of the most senior Russian military officers to have been killed by Ukraine since the start of Moscow’s full-scale invasion in 2022.

His death was confirmed by Oleg Kozhemyako, the governor of the Primorsky Krai region in Russia’s far east, where Gudkov’s 155th Marine Brigade was based. He said that Gudkov had died while “carrying out his duty as an officer”.

Ten other servicemen are also said to have died in the attack, which took place in the town of Korenevo, just over ten miles from the border with Ukraine. Kyiv’s forces are said to have used US-supplied Himars missiles to attack the base.

Gudkov, who was awarded the prestigious Hero of Russia award in 2023, was named Russia’s deputy naval chief by President Putin only in March. He had previously taken part in Russia’s military campaign in Syria.

Unconfirmed reports said Russian troops may have inadvertently revealed Gudkov’s position after breaking radio silence to congratulate Vladivostok, the capital of the Primorsky Krai region, on its City Day on Wednesday.

The 155th Marine Brigade was one of the Russian military units that was forced to retreat after suffering heavy losses during the Kremlin’s failed attempt to seize Kyiv in February 2022. Loathed by Ukrainian troops, the brigade has been linked to atrocities against civilians in Bucha, the town near Kyiv where hundreds of unarmed residents were murdered by Putin’s forces.

It has also been accused of decapitating Ukrainian soldiers and putting at least one of their heads on a spike after Kyiv’s forces staged an incursion into Russia’s Belgorod region last year. The brigade is said to have murdered nine Ukrainian drone operators after making them strip and lie on the ground.

It has twice been honoured for bravery on the battlefield by the Kremlin since the start of the war; the same number of times that the British defence ministry says it has been almost wiped out during unsuccessful Russian frontal assaults.

The Times