In a significant development, Major General Mikhail Gudkov, a senior commander of the Russian Navy, has been killed in a Ukrainian strike in the Kursk region. Oleg Kozhemyako, the governor of Russia’s Primorsky Krai, confirmed Gudkov’s death on July 3.
The incident occurred in Kursk Oblast, which shares a border with Ukraine. Gudkov had been serving as the deputy commander-in-chief of the Russian Navy since March 2025. Prior to this role, he commanded the 155th Separate Marine Brigade, actively engaged in combat operations against Ukrainian forces. His death is reported to have transpired during a Ukrainian assault on a Russian command post located in the Korenevo border district.
Kozhemyako stated that several other Russian personnel were also killed in the attack, including army officer Nariman Shikhaliyev. As of now, Ukrainian authorities have not released an official comment regarding the incident.
This strike follows a cross-border incursion by Ukrainian forces into Russia’s Kursk Oblast in August 2024, marking the first major invasion of Russian soil by foreign troops since World War II. The offensive aimed to disrupt a planned Russian attack on Ukraine’s Sumy Oblast and alleviate pressure on the front lines in Donetsk.
Since that operation, Ukraine claims to have caused significant losses to Russian forces in the region, asserting that they have inflicted 63,402 casualties, with 25,625 killed and 971 captured. Ukrainian military reports also indicate the destruction or damage of over 5,664 pieces of Russian military equipment in the area.
In response, Russia managed to reclaim much of the lost territory during a renewed offensive in March 2025, aided by support from North Korean troops.
