A Russian major general appointed just four months ago as deputy commander-in-chief of the Russian Navy has been killed in a Ukrainian precision strike – one of Kyiv’s most audacious cross-border attacks since the full-scale invasion began.
Major General Mikhail Yevgenyevich Gudkov died alongside at least 20 other officers when HIMARS rockets hit a Russian command post in the Kursk region, marking a significant escalation in Ukraine’s campaign to target high-ranking commanders inside Russian territory.
Gudkov had previously commanded the 155th Guards Naval Infantry Brigade – a formation notorious for its role in war crimes during Russia’s initial assault on Kyiv, as well as the gruesome execution of captured Ukrainian soldiers in Belgorod Oblast. Although promoted to Navy high command in March, Gudkov continued to lead from the front – retaining operational oversight of the 155th and reportedly directing its deployments in the border zone at the time of his death.
The strike is said to have taken place in the Korenevo area of Kursk, where Ukraine has recently stepped up cross-border raids. Reports claim four HIMARS rockets struck the brigade’s forward command post, killing Gudkov, his deputy, and a number of senior officers.
His death was confirmed by Oleg Kozhemyako, governor of the far eastern Russian region, who said Gudkov had been killed “carrying out his duty as an officer”.
“When he became Deputy Chief of the Navy, he did not stop personally visiting the positions of our marines,” said Kozhemyako on Telegram.
Born in 1983, Gudkov joined the Russian Armed Forces in 2000 and graduated from the Novosibirsk Higher Military Command School. He led the 155th Naval Infantry Brigade during several of its most controversial operations and was promoted by Vladimir Putin in March 2025 to a newly created deputy command post overseeing Russia’s marines and coastal artillery forces.
Despite being honoured with the Gold Star and recent appointments to high office, Gudkov’s reputation was tarnished by his brigade’s extensive combat losses and alleged war crimes.
The 155th Brigade – originally based in Vladivostok – was awarded “Guards” status by Putin in March 2022 following its disastrous retreat from Moschun, near Kyiv. Later that year, it suffered severe casualties in Pavlivka, and again in February 2023 at Vuhledar, where the unit was nearly annihilated.
According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), the 155th Brigade has been “destroyed and reconstituted” at least eight times since the full-scale invasion began.
Despite this, the unit was repeatedly redeployed to frontline operations, most recently to support Russian defences in the northern Kharkiv and Kursk regions.
In August 2024, video footage surfaced of 155th Brigade personnel manning a checkpoint near Kolotilovka, Belgorod Oblast, where the severed heads of four Ukrainian soldiers were displayed on poles.
Intercepts released by Ukrainian media later alleged that Gudkov’s men had been ordered to carry out the mutilations.
The brigade had earlier been implicated in the occupation of towns in the Kyiv region – including Bucha, Irpin and Hostomel – where widespread atrocities were documented.
Gudkov’s tenure as commander also became controversial within Russian ranks. In November 2022, after catastrophic losses near Pavlivka, surviving marines published an open letter blaming Colonel General Rustam Muradov for sending them into a suicidal offensive. The backlash was so intense that Muradov was dismissed in 2023 – but Gudkov, whose brigade had borne the brunt of the losses, remained in post and was later promoted.
Ukrainian officials have not publicly commented on the general’s death, but military analysts say it represents a symbolic and strategic blow to the Russian war effort.
His continued presence near the front suggests Ukraine’s long-range precision strike capability is increasingly able to reach key targets well behind the front lines – even those in Russian territory.
Edward Lucas, Senior Fellow and Senior Advisor at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA), said:
“One of the problems that the Russian military has is a lack of NCOs and good junior officers, which means that senior officers are much closer to the front line. And Russians are incredibly sloppy about posting on troop and staff movements on social media.”
He said that General Gudkov would have been high on Ukraine’s hit list of targets.
“Ukraine knows it will be a while before any of these Russian officers face trials at The Hague, and is increasingly adopting a kind of Israeli-style approach when it comes to war crimes.
“They say, we will hunt you down and kill you. If you commit a war crime, you will never sleep easily and you won’t live that long. And that’s a very powerful sort of morale corroder on the Russian side.”
