Camilla Jessen
Precision strike near border kills senior Russian officers.
A Russian major general associated with some of the most notorious units in the invasion of Ukraine has reportedly been killed in a Ukrainian HIMARS strike near the border, according to multiple monitoring sources.
Strike Hits Russian Command Post
Major General Mikhail Yevgenyevich Gudkov, commander of the 155th Separate Guards Naval Infantry Brigade and deputy commander-in-chief of the Russian Navy, was reportedly killed in a Ukrainian precision strike near Korenovo in Russia’s Kursk region.
The Czech-based monitoring group KilledInUkraine, citing the Russian-affiliated Suvorov Brotherhood channel, confirmed the death on July 2.
The attack targeted a Russian command post, killing Gudkov, his deputy, and at least 20 others—many of them senior officers.
Russian war correspondents referred to the general as a “legendary” figure, noting the scale of the loss.
Repeated Defeats and War Crimes
The 155th Brigade has played a controversial and bloody role in Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022, the unit has been wiped out and reconstituted at least eight times, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
It suffered heavy losses in early battles around Kyiv, including a devastating defeat near Moschun in March 2022.
Despite the losses, the Kremlin awarded the unit “Guards” status, typically reserved for elite forces.
Further offensives followed, including at Pavlivka and Vuhledar in Donetsk Oblast.
The brigade was later redeployed to Ukraine’s northeastern front and reportedly took part in defending Russia’s Kursk and Belgorod regions following Ukrainian cross-border operations.
Video footage from August 2024 places 155th personnel at a border checkpoint near Klotylivka, where they were allegedly involved in the beheading of a captured Ukrainian soldier—a war crime that sparked widespread condemnation.
Tied to Bucha and Other Atrocities
The 155th Brigade also played a role in the initial Russian occupation of the Kyiv suburbs of Bucha, Irpin, and Hostomel.
These areas became internationally known for mass civilian atrocities, including killings, torture, and rape.
Gudkov’s leadership ties him directly to the command structure of forces involved in these operations.
