Mikhail Gudkov, the deputy commander-in-chief of the Russian Navy, has been killed in the country’s Kursk region, Primorsky Krai Governor Oleg Kozhemyako announced on Thursday.
According to Kozhemyako, Gudkov died “fulfilling his duty as an officer alongside his comrades.” Among the other casualties, the governor named officer Nariman Shikhaliyev. The circumstances and exact date of their deaths were not specified.
On Thursday afternoon, the Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that Gudkov was killed in the Kursk region, saying he died on July 2 during combat operations in one of the region’s border districts.
Ukrainian Telegram channels and media reported that Gudkov had been “eliminated,” while Russian propagandists announced his death the previous day. Some Telegram sources claim Gudkov and 10 other officers died in a strike by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on a command post near the village of Korenovo, close to the border, though the exact timing remains unclear.
An obituary posted by a Russian Navy servicemen’s organization states that on July 2, 2025, the Ukrainian Armed Forces launched a missile strike on the command post of the 155th Marine Brigade. The post said four missiles hit a forward command post in Korenovo, killing more than 10 people, including Gudkov and several senior officers.
Gudkov was appointed deputy head of Russia’s Navy in March 2025.