According to the Russian Defense Ministry, a Ukrainian attack in the Kursk region of southern Russia on Thursday, July 3, killed a senior Russian commanders who led a brigade and the deputy chief of the Russian Navy. According to Reuters, Gudkov was among the top Russian leaders slain during the war.
Following Russiaโs full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the two nations went to war. Since then, the Ukrainian operation has resulted in the deaths of at least ten senior Russian commanders. The list of senior Russian commanders who have been officially declared dead is provided below.
1. Major General Andrei Sukhovetsky
On February 28, 2022, Sukhovetsky, the deputy commander of the 41st Army, was shot and killed by a Ukrainian sniper in the Kyiv region. He was the first high-ranking Russian official to be officially declared dead during the conflict. He was a veteran of Russian operations in Syria, Georgia, and Crimea, and his passing was a strategic and symbolic setback.
2. Major General Vladimir Frolov
Frolov was the 8th Guards Armyโs deputy commander. During the siege of Mariupol in April 2022, he was killed by sniper fire at the Illich Steel and Iron Works. He was buried in St. Petersburg with military honors after his death was verified by pro-Russian authorities.
3. Major General Kanamat Botashev
Botashev, a retired air force officer, returned to combat and was killed in May 2022 when his Su-25 fighter jet was downed over the Luhansk region. At 63, he was the oldest high-ranking officer killed and the highest-ranking air force officer lost in the conflict.
4. Lieutenant General Roman Kutuzov
In a battle in Luhansk in June 2022, Kutuzov lost his life. He was posthumously promoted from colonel to lieutenant general. He had previously participated in high-stakes operations in Syria and Chechnya.
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5. Major General Sergey Goryachev
In June 2023, Goryachev, the head of staff of the 35th Combined Arms Army, was killed in Zaporizhzhia by a Ukrainian missile strike. In addition to serving as Russiaโs military commander in Tajikistan, he was a veteran of the Second Chechen War.
6. Lieutenant General Oleg Tsokov
Tsokov, deputy commander of the Southern Military District, died in July 2023 in a Ukrainian missile strike on occupied Zaporizhzhia. He had previously survived a HIMARS strike in 2022. His death marked a significant loss for Russian operations in the south.
7. Major General Vladimir Zavadsky
Zavadsky, deputy commander of the 14th Army Corps, reportedly died in November 2023 in the Kharkiv region, likely from a Russian landmine. His death sparked speculation due to conflicting reports and a lack of official detail.
8. Major General Pavel Klimenko
Klimenko was killed in a Ukrainian drone strike in November 2023 while at a checkpoint in Donetsk. He was responsible for logistics and troop coordination in the region and played a key role in Russian ground operations.
9. Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov
In December 2024, Kirillov, the commander of Russiaโs Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Protection Troops, was killed outside his Moscow apartment. Ukraine asserted accountability. Kirillov was charged with ordering chemical assaults against Ukrainian troops.
10. Lieutenant General Yaroslav Moskalik
In April 2025, Moskalik, the deputy head of Russiaโs General Staffโs Main Directorate of Operations, was killed in a car bombing in Balashikha, which is close to Moscow. Shortly after, President Zelenskyy praised Ukrainian intelligence, despite Ukraine not formally claiming credit.
After the attack, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised Ukraineโs foreign intelligence service for killing top Russian military figures. But Zelenskyy did not mention the car bomb.
Reuters reporting contributed to this article.