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Top Russian General, Linked to Bucha War Crimes Reportedly Killed in HIMARS Strike Near Ukraine Border
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![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
Ukrainian and international monitoring sources report that Russian Major General Mikhail Yevgenyevich Gudkov, commander of the 155th Separate Guards Naval Infantry Brigade and deputy commander-in-chief of the Russian Navy, was killed in a precision strike near the Russian-Ukrainian border, according to the Czech monitoring group KilledInUkraine on July 2.
The report of Gudkov’s death originated from the Suvorov Brotherhood, a Russian military-affiliated channel on Telegram and VK. The source is considered reliable and “does not usually publish fake news,” the monitoring group stated.
According to an announcement by the Suvorov Brotherhood on TG and VK, Major General Гудков Михаил Евгеньевич (Gudkov Mikhail Evgenievich), commander of the 155th Separate Guards Naval Infantry Brigade and deputy commander-in-chief of the Russian Navy, was eliminated. pic.twitter.com/ohVsevOwzL
— KIU ✪ Russian Officers killed in Ukraine 🇨🇿🇺🇦 (@KilledInUkraine) July 2, 2025
The strike reportedly occurred in the Korenovo area of Russia’s Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces targeted a Russian command post, resulting in the deaths of Major General Gudkov, his deputy, and at least 20 others, most of them senior officers.
“Legendary Major General killed in a HIMARS strike on a command post, along with his deputy and 20 others,” Russian war correspondents wrote.
Gudkov’s unit, the 155th Separate Guards Naval Infantry Brigade, has a long and bloody history in Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.
The unit has been decimated multiple times since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022 and rebuilt at least eight times, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
In March 2022, the brigade suffered a catastrophic defeat near Moschun, northwest of Kyiv. After the rout, Vladimir Putin awarded the brigade “Guards” status—a title typically reserved for elite formations, despite its losses.
Later that year, the unit again sustained heavy losses during failed assaults on Pavlivka in Donetsk Oblast, and later faced a disastrous defeat near Vuhledar in February 2023, one of the bloodiest Russian setbacks in the war.
Despite these repeated failures, the 155th was redeployed to Ukraine’s Kharkiv region during Russia’s ongoing offensive in the north.
Following Ukraine’s cross-border raids into the Kursk region, the 155th was reportedly shifted to reinforce the Russian side of the border. Elements of the brigade are also believed to be involved in operations to secure the Belgorod region, including manning checkpoints near the “Klotylivka” border crossing.
On August 12, 2024, footage surfaced of 155th brigade personnel at this very checkpoint, reportedly involved in gruesome war crimes, including the beheading of a captured Ukrainian soldier—a crime that prompted international outrage.
The brigade also took part in the initial occupation of the Kyiv region, including Bucha, Irpin, and Hostomel, where numerous war crimes against civilians were documented, including executions, torture, and rape.
Earlier, one of Russia’s most decorated military snipers was killed while fighting in Ukraine.
