Thu Jul 03 14:05:37 UTC 2025: ## High-Ranking Russian Navy Official Killed in Combat Near Ukrainian Border

**Moscow, Russia** – Rear Admiral Mikhail Gudkov, the deputy head of the Russian navy, has been killed during combat operations in the Kursk region, the Russian Ministry of Defence confirmed on Thursday. The 42-year-old, appointed to the position by President Vladimir Putin in March, is one of the most senior Russian military officials to die since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine over three years ago.

While the Ministry of Defence cited “combat operations” as the cause of death, unofficial Russian and Ukrainian military Telegram channels suggest Gudkov and other officers were killed in a Ukrainian missile strike on a command post. Kursk has seen continued clashes despite Moscow’s claim in April to have fully recovered the region seized by Ukrainian forces in a surprise offensive last August.

Oleg Kozhemyako, governor of the Primorye region, where the Pacific Fleet is based, lauded Gudkov as having been killed while “carrying out his duty as an officer.” He added that Gudkov previously led the 155th Guards Naval Infantry Brigade of the Pacific Fleet and continued to visit his former troops after becoming deputy chief of the navy.

Gudkov’s death coincides with Moscow’s announcement of capturing the villages of Razine and Milove in eastern Ukraine. Kyiv has yet to comment on the claim but stated that its forces are “steadfastly holding back” Russian advances in the area.

In other developments, a Russian airstrike on port infrastructure in Odesa killed two people, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was in Denmark, securing pledges of EU membership support and a deal for the manufacturing of hundreds of thousands of drones in Ukraine.

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