Russian Battalion Commander Eliminated by Drone Strike in Donetsk Region

A Ukrainian drone strike killed the commander of Russia’s “Yugra” battalion, Lt. Col. Oleg Rudomyotov, in the Donetsk region, Militarnyi reported on May 15.

Rudomyotov’s death was confirmed by the Russian regional television channel Yugra, which had previously published interviews with him. It was also confirmed by Killed in Ukraine OSINT community that tracks Russian losses in Ukraine.

“Oleg Rudomyotov died on May 12 during a massive enemy drone raid,” the channel reported.

Rudomyotov had led the “Yugra” battalion after replacing Dmitry Aksyonov, who took command of the unit following the start of Russia’s mobilization campaign.

Before joining Russia’s war against Ukraine, Rudomyotov had reportedly taken part in counterterrorism operations in the North Caucasus. He was mobilized in October 2022 from the city of Seversk in Russia’s Tomsk region.

The “Yugra” battalion is a Russian military formation associated with the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug. Its commander’s death adds to a growing list of Russian officers killed as Ukrainian drone operations continue targeting command personnel, logistics, and frontline units across the battlefield.

Earlier, an explosion in a military garrison in Russia’s Khabarovsk region targeted Major General Azatbek Omurbekov, a commander linked to war crimes in Bucha during the early stages of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

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