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Mikhail Gudkov

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In this name that follows East Slavic naming customs, the patronymic is Yevgenyevich and the family name is Gudkov.
Mikhail Gudkov
Native name
Михаил Гудков
Nickname(s)Varyag (Варяг, lit. Varangian)
Born(1983-01-11)11 January 1983
Novosibirsk, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Died (aged 42)
Korenevsky District, Kursk Oblast, Russia
Allegiance Russia
Branch Russian Navy
Service years2000–2025
RankMajor general
Commands155th Guards Naval Infantry Brigade
Conflicts
AwardsHero of the Russian Federation (2023, 2025)

Mikhail Yevgenyevich Gudkov (Russian: Михаил Евгеньевич Гудков; 11 January 1983 – 2 July 2025) was a Russian major general who served as Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy from March 2025 until his death from Ukrainian missile strike.[3] He had previously held the position of commander of the 155th Guards Naval Infantry Brigade of the Pacific Fleet.[4] He was killed by a Ukrainian missile strike in Kursk Oblast during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[5]

Biography

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Gudkov was born on 11 January 1983 in Novosibirsk, Russia.[2] He enlisted in the Russian Armed Forces in 2000.[2] Gudkov graduated from the Novosibirsk Higher Military Command School (faculty "Application of Military Intelligence Units") in 2005, and was assigned to the Russian Airborne Forces the same year.[2] He was assigned to the 83rd Separate Air Assault Brigade headquartered in Ussuriysk, Primorsky Krai, and participated in military operations in the North Caucasus during the Second Chechen War.[2]

Gudkov rose from commander of a paratrooper platoon to commander of an air assault battalion.[2] Upon his graduation from the Combined Arms Academy of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, Gudkov was appointed deputy commander of the 155th Independent Marine Brigade, part of the Pacific Fleet, in Vladivostok, Primorsky Krai.[2] He took part in the Russian military intervention in Syria.[2]

Russo-Ukrainian War

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As commander of the 155th Independent Marine Brigade, Gudkov participated in the Russian invasion of Ukraine beginning in 2022, during which he and his subordinates were accused by Ukrainian authorities of committing multiple war crimes.[5] He was awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation in 2023 and was promoted to major general in 2024.[2] In March 2025, Gudkov was named Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy.[2] President Vladimir Putin announced Gudkov's appointment at meeting with the crew of the nuclear submarine Arkhangelsk.[6] Putin praised Gudkov on the occasion, saying that the 155th Marine Brigade under his command was an elite unit and one of the best Russia had.[5] In his new role, Gudkov was in charge of the Russian Navy’s entire naval infantry and all coastal missile and artillery troops.[7]

On 2 July 2025, Gudkov was killed by a Ukrainian missile strike in Russia's Kursk Oblast.[6] His death was announced by the governor of Primorsky Krai, Oleg Kozhemyako, on 3 July.[5] According to Russian and Ukrainian Telegram channels, Gudkov and ten other officers died in a Ukrainian strike on a command post near the town of Korenevo, around 30 kilometres (19 mi) from the Ukrainian border.[6] The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed on 3 July that Gudkov had been killed the previous day while on a combat mission in a border district of Kursk Oblast.[7][8] He was posthumously declared a Hero of the Russian Federation, becoming the first person in recent history to be awarded the title twice.[9] Gudkov is one of the most senior Russian military officers to have been killed since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.[5]

Awards

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Commemoration

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  • In Novosibirsk, a memorial plaque was installed on the building of lyceum No. 81, where Gudkov studied, in 2024.[13]
  • The 155th Independent Guards Kursk Marine Brigade of the Pacific Fleet, bearing the Orders of Zhukov and Suvorov, was awarded the honorary title "named after twice Hero of the Russian Federation Major General M. E. Gudkov".[14]
  • A monument is planned to be erected in Kursk.[15]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "В Курской области погиб замглавкома ВМФ России Михаил Гудков. Z-блогеры сообщили об ударе HIMARS по штабу". Настоящее Время. 3 July 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Biography of Mikhail Gudkov". RIA Novosti. 3 July 2025. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
  3. ^ "Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy Mikhail Gudkov died in Kursk Oblast". Rossiyskaya Gazeta (in Russian). 3 July 2025. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
  4. ^ Governor of Primorye reported the death of Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy in Kursk Oblast
  5. ^ a b c d e "Deputy head of Russian Navy killed by Ukraine in Kursk, official says". Reuters. 3 July 2025. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
  6. ^ a b c "Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy Mikhail Gudkov died in Kursk Oblast. He was appointed to this position three months ago". Meduza (in Russian). Retrieved 3 July 2025.
  7. ^ a b Smityuk, Yuri (3 July 2025). "Senior Russian Navy commander Gudkov killed in Kursk Region — official". TASS. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
  8. ^ "Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy Mikhail Gudkov died in Kursk Oblast". Radio Svoboda (in Russian). 3 July 2025. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
  9. ^ "Хинштейн: Генерал Гудков стал первым в современной истории дважды Героем РФ". Российская газета. 6 July 2025.
  10. ^ "Graduate of NVMCS Colonel Mikhail Gudkov became Hero of Russia". Rodnye Berega (in Russian). 26 October 2023. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
  11. ^ "Graduate of NVMCS Mikhail Gudkov became Hero of Russia". Academ.Info (in Russian). Retrieved 3 July 2025.
  12. ^ "Marines became Heroes of Russia / Theme of the week / Nezavisimaya Gazeta". nvo.ng.ru. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
  13. ^ "Hero of the Russian Federation Gudkov Mikhail Yevgenyevich :: Heroes of the country. Memorial plaque in Novosibirsk". warheroes.ru. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
  14. ^ "Decree of the President of the Russian Federation dated 06.07.2025 No. 446". Official Publication of Legal Acts. 6 July 2025. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  15. ^ "Deputy Navy Commander Mikhail Gudkov became twice Hero of Russia, the second time posthumously. The 155th Marine Brigade was named after him". Meduza. 6 July 2025. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
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