Russia has lost one of the most senior officers killed of its war in Ukraine to date, it confirmed Thursday morning, in what Ukrainian media claims was a strike with U.S.-made HIMARS missiles.
The Russian Ministry of Defence has confirmed earlier reports that 42-year-old Major General Mikhail Evgenievich Gudkov, Hero of the Russian Federation, and Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Navy for coastal and ground forces was killed in action.
Ukrainian state media reports the General is believed to have been killed by a Ukrainian HIMARS strike in the Kursk region. HIMARS, the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, is a lightweight, airmobile, multiple launch system, and is a GPS-guided evolution of the earliest saturation-effect launchers like the famous Katyusha and Calliope rockets. It also has a single-launch cruise missile version, the ATACMs.
Moscow has frequently criticised the United States for allowing Ukraine to use the potent weapon system, and particularly for permitting Ukraine to strike targets within Russia itself, not just occupied Ukraine.
A statement by the Russian Ministry of Defence today said of the loss of Major General Gudkov: “…during combat operations in one of the border areas of the Kursk region, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Navy for coastal and ground forces, Hero of Russia, Major General Mikhail Evgenievich Gudkov, died”.
A further Russian government statement said Gudkov, who earlier in his military career had led an airborne assault battalion and commanded a brigade of Russia’s Naval Infantry (marines), had led troops who were instrumental in Russia re-capturing land taken by Ukraine as part of their counter-invasion of the Kursk and Belgorod Oblasts last year. They called Gudkov a “strong-spirited warrior” who was deeply personally attached to the Russian Navy, and that he frequently visited front-line positions to spend time with his men.
Russian state media also named Lieutenant Colonel Nariman Shikhaliyev as having been killed in the same strike, with their English language report referring to him as Gudkov’s “faithful friend”. While the meaning of this is unclear, the Russian-language bulletin from the Kremlin instead called Shikhaliyev a “loyal comrade”, suggesting the men served together, rather than that they enjoyed a special personal relationship.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been disproportionately deadly for their officer class, with thousands from lieutenants in squad-leadership positions all the way up to generals. Major General Gudkov is one of the most senior officers confirmed killed in the war so far, with only three other officers killed — Lieutenant Generals — of higher rank.
British intelligence said in 2022 that the structure of Russia’s military has made the war particularly deadly for its officers. In Western militaries experienced troops promoted to Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) ranks such as Sergeant tend to lead a squad or platoon in combat, but this is not generally present in the Russian army, leaving leading squads to inexperienced junior officers.
The Ukrainian military, which inherited its structure from the Soviet Union, was also constituted in this way. But as part of the process of NATO-isation and training of their armed forces by Western states, an NCO class is being created. The U.S. Department of Defence said in 2023 that “Ukraine’s investment in developing a noncommissioned officer corps may be the key to victory against the Russian invader.”
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