Mikhail Gudkov

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Mikhail Gudkov
Mikhail Gudkov General.webp
Gudkov in 2023
Native name
Михаил Гудков
Nickname(s)Varyag (Варяг, lit. Varangian)
Born(1983-01-11)11 January 1983
Novosibirsk, Russian SFSR,
Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union
Died (aged 42)
Korenevsky District, Kursk Oblast, Russia
AllegianceFlag of Russia.svg Russia
BranchNaval Ensign of Russia.svg  Russian Navy
Service years2000–2025
Rank Major general
Commands 155th Guards Naval Infantry Brigade
Conflicts
Awards Hero 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 posthumously declared a Hero of the Russian Federation, making him the first person to get hero twice. [5]

Contents

Biography

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 served in the 83rd Separate Air Assault Brigade headquartered in Ussuriysk, Primorsky Krai. [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 military operations in the North Caucasus and in the Russian military intervention in Syria. [2]

Russo-Ukrainian War

Beginning on 24 February 2022, as commander of the 155th Independent Marine Brigade, Gudkov participated in the Russian invasion of Ukraine. [2] 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. [7] In his new role, Gudkov was in charge of the Russian Navy’s entire naval infantry and all coastal missile and artillery troops. [8]

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. [7] 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 Korenovo, 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. [8] [9] Ukrainian officials had previously accused him and his subordinates of committing a number of war crimes. [7] Gudkov is one of the most senior Russian military officers to have been killed since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. [7]

Awards

Commemoration

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "В Курской области погиб замглавкома ВМФ России Михаил Гудков. Z-блогеры сообщили об ударе HIMARS по штабу". Настоящее Время. 3 July 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "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. ↑ "Хинштейн: Генерал Гудков стал первым в современной истории дважды Героем РФ". Российская газета. 6 July 2025.
  6. 1 2 3 "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. 1 2 3 4 "Deputy head of Russian Navy killed by Ukraine in Kursk, official says". Reuters. 3 July 2025. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
  8. 1 2 Smityuk, Yuri (3 July 2025). "Senior Russian Navy commander Gudkov killed in Kursk Region — official". TASS. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
  9. ↑ "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.
  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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