Deputy head of Russian Navy killed by Ukraine in Kursk, official says
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Ukraine-Russia war latest: Deputy head of Russian Navy killed in Ukrainian attack on Kursk
Major General Mikhail Gudkov killed alongside 10 other servicemen in a Ukrainian attack on a command post. News of the death comes after Ukraine summoned the acting US envoy to Kyiv to warn the Trump administration that any ‘delay or procrastination’ will only benefit Russia. US has blocked a number of planned shipments to Ukraine that included Patriot air defence missiles and precision-guided artillery.
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The deputy head of the Russian Navy been killed in Russia’s Kursk region, a Russian official confirmed on Thursday.
Major General Mikhail Gudkov, who also led a brigade fighting against Ukraine, had been killed alongside 10 other servicemen in a Ukrainian attack on a command post, unofficial military Telegram channels reported earlier.
The news of the death comes after Ukraine summoned the acting US envoy to Kyiv to warn the Trump administration that any “delay or procrastination” in supplying the war-hit nation with weapons will only benefit Russia.
The US has blocked a number of planned shipments to Ukraine that included Patriot air defence missiles and precision-guided artillery, warning that its own domestic stockpiles were running low but said that “robust” options for Kyiv were still lined up.
Ukraine has complained that this pause in military aid has allowed Russian forces to advance further inside Ukrainian territory.
Russian forces have penetrated up to 7km (4 miles) into the northern Sumy region from different directions along the border and the war’s largest battle is being waged in Donetsk as Russia inches toward its stated goal of capturing all of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
Russian Deputy Navy Chief Killed In Ukraine’s Attack On Kursk Region
Mikhail Gudkov, 42, had served in the military since 2000 and was made “Hero of the Russian Federation” by President Vladimir Putin in 2023. He is one of the most senior Russian military officers to have been killed since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Russian military said Thursday it had captured the village of Milove in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region, opening a new front on their shared border.
Gudkov, 42, had served in the military since 2000 and was made “Hero of the Russian Federation” by President Vladimir Putin in 2023 – the Kremlin’s highest honour. He also led a brigade fighting against Ukraine in the current war.
Mikhail Gudkov, who served as deputy commander of the Russian Navy, was killed during “combat operations” in the Kursk region, according to officials on Thursday, as Russian and Ukrainian forces fought in the area.
“During combat operations in one of the border areas of the Kursk region on July 2, 2025… Major General Mikhail Evgenievich Gudkov was killed,” Russia’s state RIA news agency quoted the defence ministry as saying. He is one of the most senior Russian military officers to have been killed since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Oleg Kozhemyako, head of the Primorye region in Russia’s Far East, said Gudkov “was killed carrying out his duty as an officer”. He said Gudkov was a former commander of the 155th Guards Naval Infantry Brigade of Russia’s Pacific Fleet and a “strong-spirited fighter”.
Notably, Ukrainian forces had captured large parts of Kursk in a surprise offensive last year. Although Russia claimed it had fully recaptured the territory, clashes in the border region have continued till date.
On the war front, the Russian military said Thursday it had captured the village of Milove in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region, opening a new front on their shared border. Ukraine did not immediately respond to Russia’s claim.
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Milove lies on a section of the border that Moscow’s forces had not penetrated since their offensive began in 2022, and was home to several hundred people before the conflict.
Officials confirm that the Ukraine killed the deputy head of Russian Navy in Kursk.
Oleg Kozhemyako said that Major General Mikhail Gudkov was killed in the Kursk region of Russia. He is the highest ranking Russian officer to be killed by Ukraine since Moscow’s full-scale war with Ukraine began in 2022. He was awarded for his bravery during military operations against Ukraine, and Kyiv accused him of war crimes.
In the past, unofficial Russian and Ukrainian military Telegrams had reported that Gudkov was killed with 10 other servicemen during a Ukrainian attack in Korenevo. The region of Kursk borders Ukraine.
Since Moscow’s full-scale war with Ukraine began in 2022, he is the highest ranking Russian officer to be killed by Ukraine.
Kozhemyako said that he spoke to Gudkov often over the years. He said in a press release that Gudkov was killed while “doing his duty as a police officer”, along with other men. Kozhemyako also expressed his condolences for the families of the deceased.
Kozhemyako, on Telegram, said that when he was appointed Deputy Chief of Navy he continued to visit the Marines’ positions.
Gudkov was awarded for his bravery during military operations against Ukraine, and Kyiv accused him of war crimes. According to a Kremlin website statement, Russian President Vladimir Putin named him deputy commander in chief of the Navy back in March.
No immediate comments were made by the Russian Defence Ministry, or Ukraine.
Gudkov led the Marine Brigade of Russia’s Pacific Fleet that fought in Kursk. In August 2024, Ukrainian forces seized parts of Kursk in a surprise attack. Russia announced earlier this year that it had driven the Ukrainians out. (Reporting and Lidia Kelly, Writing by Andrew Osborn, Editing by Mark Trevelyan.)
(source: Reuters)
Deputy head of Russian Navy killed in Kursk region
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BREAKING: Deputy commander of Russian Navy killed in Ukrainian strike in Kursk, Russian official confirms
Major General Mikhail Yevgenyevich Gudkov was killed alongside his deputy and several other Russian soldiers. He was appointed deputy commander-in-chief of the Russian Navy in March 2025. He held the titles of Hero of Russia and Hero of Primorye, Russia’s far eastern region where he previously served. Ukraine claims it has inflicted 63,402 Russian troop casualties in the oblast, including 25,625 killed and 971 captured. Ukrainian forces also say they have destroyed or damaged over 5,664 pieces of Russian military equipment in the area.
A deputy commander of Russia’s navy has been killed in a Ukrainian strike in Kursk Oblast, a Russian official confirmed on July 3.
Major General Mikhail Yevgenyevich Gudkov was killed alongside his deputy and several other Russian soldiers, Oleg Kozhemyako, governor of Russia’s Primorsky Krai, said in a post on social media.
According to Russian milbloggers, 22 people in total were killed as a result of a Ukrainian HIMARS strike in Russia’s Kursk Oblast bordering Ukraine. Kyiv has yet to comment on the attack.
Gudkov was appointed deputy commander-in-chief of the Russian Navy in March 2025. Prior to that, he led the 155th Separate Marine Brigade, which has been involved in combat operations against Ukraine.
He held the titles of Hero of Russia and Hero of Primorye, Russia’s far eastern region where he previously served, Kozhemyako said.
HIMARS, whose prowess became a popular motif of internet memes, was a game-changer for Ukraine when they first arrived in the summer of 2022.
Initially supplied with GMLRS rockets with a range of around 70 kilometers, they allowed Ukraine to target Russian forces on the other side of the front line far more accurately than they had previously.
In the fall of 2023, the U.S. began supplying Kyiv with an older model of ATACMS – fired from HIMARS launchers – with a range of around 165 kilometers, greatly increasing the range that Ukraine could strike within.
Russia’s high-ranking military officials have been killed on a regular basis throughout the full-scale invasion — a recent report from BBC Russia identified ten generals 10 generals and 524 lieutenant colonels and colonels.
Ukrainian forces launched a cross-border incursion into Russia’s Kursk Oblast in August 2024, making it the first large-scale invasion of Russian territory by foreign troops since World War II. The move was intended to disrupt a planned Russian offensive targeting Ukraine’s Sumy Oblast and to relieve pressure on the Donetsk front.
Since then, Ukraine claims it has inflicted 63,402 Russian troop casualties in the oblast, including 25,625 killed and 971 captured. Ukrainian forces also say they have destroyed or damaged over 5,664 pieces of Russian military equipment in the area.
Russia retook most of the lost territory during a renewed offensive in March 2025, supported by North Korean troops.