On March 3rd, the Chief Administrative Officer of the Russian Far Eastern Territory, Koremyak, stated on social media that Major General Mikhail Gudkov, the Deputy Commander of the Russian Navy, along with several other Russian military officers, were killed in action during a mission in Kursk Oblast.
Gudkov was among the highest-ranking Russian military personnel to have been killed since the escalation of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2022.
The Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed on March 3rd that Gudkov had died in action the day before in Kursk Oblast in combat against Ukrainian forces.
Major General Mikhail Gudkov (Photo)
Koremyak released a statement on social media saying that Gudkov and several comrades died together while performing their duties. He extended his condolences to the families of the deceased.
Earlier reports from unofficial military channels between Russia and Ukraine reported that in the attack on the Kremenivo command post in Kursk Oblast by Ukrainian forces, another 10 Russian soldiers were killed alongside Gudkov.
Koremyak mentioned that Gudkov had served as the commander of the 155th Independent Naval Landing Brigade of the Pacific Fleet of the Russian Navy. The main base of this fleet is located in Vladivostok, the capital of the Russian Far Eastern Territory. He described Gudkov as a “determined soldier,” who, after taking over as Deputy Commander of the Navy, still insisted on personally inspecting the Marine Corps.
Koremyak also mentioned that Narim Manchilyev and others were among those who died alongside Gudkov. Both Koremyak’s posts and reports from Russian media did not disclose the reasons for Gudkov’s death or the specific location.
According to incomplete statistics, at least ten senior Russian military officers have been killed since the escalation of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2022.
In April 2025, Lieutenant General Yaroslav Moskaliuk, Deputy Director of the Operations Department of the Russian Armed Forces, died in an explosion in Moscow Oblast involving a homemade explosive device placed in a car.
In December 2024, Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, Commander of the Russian Armed Forces Radiation, Chemical, and Biological Protection Service, was killed by an explosion in Moscow.
The Ukrainian National Security Service admitted to orchestrating the assassination,
identifying Kirillov as responsible for the use of chemical weapons against Ukrainian forces by the Russian military.
▲ An explosion outside a residential building in Leningrad Street, Moscow, caused by an explosive device placed on a skateboard. Photo source/IC photo
In November 2023, Lieutenant General Vladimir Zavartsev, Deputy Commander of the Northern Fleet’s 14th Army Group, was killed in a special military operation.
In July 2023, Lieutenant General Oleksandr Tsikhov, Deputy Commander of the Southern Military District, was killed in a missile strike on Belgorod.
In June 2023, Lieutenant General Sergey Goryachev, Chief of Staff of the 35th Army Group, was killed at the front line in Zaporizhzhia.
In March 2022, the municipal authorities of Novosibirsk, southern Russia, confirmed that Major General Andrey Sukhovsky, Deputy Commander of the 41st Army Group, was killed in Ukraine.
Source: Xinhua News Agency, Luan Hai, Gao Bingbing, Liu Jiang