Key Points and Summary – A senior Russian general, Mikhail Yevgenyevich Gudkov, the deputy commander of the Russian navy, has been killed in a Ukrainian missile strike in Korenovo, Kursk, the Russian Defense Ministry has confirmed.
-The 42-year-old general, who previously led the 155th Naval Infantry Brigade which has been linked to war crimes in Bucha, was reportedly killed by US-made HIMARS rockets.
-He is one of the most senior Russian officers to be killed since the start of the war.
-The strike highlights the effectiveness of Ukraine’s precision-strike capabilities, even as a US pause on some new munitions deliveries continues.
Ukraine Kills Russian General Using U.S.-Made HIMARS
In one of the most high-profile deaths of the Russia-Ukraine war, a senior general in the Russian Navy has been killed in a missile strike.
According to The Daily Telegraph, Mikhail Yevgenyevich Gudkov, deputy commander of the Russian navy, was killed in the strike, a fatality that’s been confirmed by the Russian Defense Ministry.
The 42-year-old general “has been linked to war crimes,” the newspaper said.
The strike happened in Korenovo, Kursk, and was carried out using US-made HIMARS rockets.
Per the report, he is one of at least 10 generals, and one of the most senior, killed on the Russian side since the start of the war, although Ukraine claims more than that.
The late general reportedly controlled the Russian navy’s coastal and land forces, as well as marine units. The Telegraph, citing Russian war bloggers, also reported that Gudkov held the “overall command of marines advancing in Ukraine’s neighbouring Sumy region.”
Suspected of War Crimes in Ukraine
The 155th Separate Guards Naval Infantry Brigade, which Gudkov led during the early stages of the war, “is believed have taken part in the initial occupation of the Kyiv region shortly after the full-scale invasion, including Bucha, where war crimes were carried out against the civilian population, including rape, torture and mass murder.”
“Gudkov held the titles of Hero of Russia and Hero of Primorye, Russia’s far eastern region where he previously served, the Kyiv Independent reported, citing a social media post from Oleg Kozhemyako, governor of Russia’s Primorsky Krai. Their report added that 22 people in total were killed in the strike.
Meet the HIMARS
The HIMARS ( M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System) rocket is made by Lockheed Martin and supplied by the U.S.
“Adversaries around the globe are becoming more sophisticated. To protect soldiers, citizens and infrastructure, our customers require the most advanced tactical missile capabilities. The Lockheed Martin HIMARS is a strategic capability, improving homeland and important asset defense while reducing overall mission costs,” Lockheed says of the weapon.
The rocket has been the subject of memes, featuring it “smiling,” and at one point in 2022 Ukrainian soldiers outfitted an actual HIMARS vehicle with a smile to look like the meme.
“Ukraine has, of course, been getting plenty of use out of its HIMARS systems since the United States began sending them to the country this summer. With the ability to fire six rockets up to 45 miles and rapidly relocate, it’s hard to top the HIMARS when it comes to precision strikes on enemy targets,” Task and Purpose said at the time about the HIMARS system.
A report last week from Interesting Engineering looked at how the Army is looking to turn the HIMARS system into something hypersonic.
“The US Army has formally advanced the Blackbeard Ground Launch (GL) hypersonic strike missile into the Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) phase, allocating $25 million in the FY2026 budget under Project HX3,” the report said.
“This transition marks the program’s shift from prototype demonstrations to full-scale system development, emphasizing integration into the widely deployed High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS).”
Whether that system might ever end up deployed to Ukraine, especially amid the recently announced pause in new military aid, remains unclear. The HIMARS systems are part of the aid pause, although one Ukrainian official told the Associated Press that they’re in “less urgent need” of those than they are of Patriot missile defense systems.
“Other countries that have these (Patriot) systems can only transfer them with U.S. approval. The real question now is how far the United States is willing to go in its reluctance to support Ukraine,” the official told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
About the Author: Stephen Silver
Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. For over a decade, Stephen has authored thousands of articles that focus on politics, technology, and the economy. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver, and subscribe to his Substack newsletter.
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