Deputy head of Russian Navy killed by Ukraine in Kursk, official says

PHOTO CAPTION: Illustrative photo of Gudkov’s portrait

MOSCOW  -  Major General Mikhail Gudkov, the deputy head of the Russian Navy who also led a brigade fighting against Ukraine, has been killed in Russia's Kursk region, Oleg Kozhemyako, governor of a far eastern Russian region, said on Thursday.

Unofficial Russian and Ukrainian military Telegram channels had earlier reported that Gudkov had been killed along with 10 other servicemen in a Ukrainian attack on a command post in Korenevo in the Kursk region, which borders Ukraine.

He is one of the most senior Russian military officers to have been killed by Ukraine since Moscow launched its full-scale war against Ukraine in 2022.  

Kozhemyako, who said he had spoken to Gudkov a lot over the years, said in a statement that Gudkov had been killed "carrying out his duty as an officer" along with others, and expressed his condolences to the dead men's relatives.

"When he became Deputy Chief of the Navy, he did not stop personally visiting the positions of our marines," Kozhemyako said on Telegram.

Gudkov had received awards for bravery in military action against Ukraine and been accused by Kyiv of war crimes. Russian President Vladimir Putin appointed him deputy commander-in-chief of the Navy in March, according to a statement on the Kremlin's website.     

There was no immediate comment from the Russian Defence Ministry or from Ukraine.

Gudkov had led a Marine Brigade of Russia's Pacific Fleet, which had been fighting in Kursk. Parts of Kursk were seized by Ukrainian forces in a surprise offensive in August 2024 before Russia said earlier this year it had driven them out. 

 (Reporting by Reuters Moscow and Lidia Kelly Writing by Andrew OsbornEditing by Mark Trevelyan // REUTERS)