Russia’s Generals Are Dying: How Ukraine Is Taking The War Deep Inside Moscow’s Ranks

Representational image

Russia-Ukraine War: Major General Mikhail Gudkov had no warning. One moment, he was coordinating troop rotations near the Kursk front. The next, a Ukrainian missile slammed into his location. Russia confirmed his death on July 3. His rank made headlines. His name joined a growing list.

Since the invasion began in February 2022, Ukraine has done more than resist. It has hunted. One by one, senior Russian military leaders have been killed – some in battle and some in bombings far from the front.

Ukraine is not only striking tanks. It is dismantling the Russian war machine at its core and targeting the minds behind the missiles.

Sukhovetsky was first

February 28, 2022. Near Kyiv. Deputy Commander of Russia’s 41st Army, Major General Andrei Sukhovetsky, was hit. He was 47. He had fought in Syria and Georgia. His death stunned Moscow.

Then came Frolov

He was a deputy commander of the 8th Guards Army. Killed by sniper fire during Russia’s siege of Mariupol in April 2022 at the age of 55. He had fought in Syria as well. He was buried in Saint Petersburg.

Botashev killed in the skies

May 2022. Luhansk. A former air force general, Kanamat Botashev, flew a combat mission and never returned. Retired. Then returned to war. Died at 63. Shot down mid-air.

Kutuzov promoted after death

June 2022. Luhansk again. Colonel Roman Kutuzov was leading his men when he was killed. He was posthumously promoted to lieutenant general. A rare gesture in Russia.

Goryachev, Zaporizhzhia, missile strike

June 2023. Major General Sergei Goryachev died in a Ukrainian missile strike. Chief of Staff of Russia’s 35th Army, he was a decorated veteran of Chechnya and Moldova’s Transnistria region.

Another missile killed Tsokov

July 2023. Lieutenant General Oleg Tsokov, mdeputy commander of the Southern Military District, died in Zaporizhzhia. Had survived one previous strike. The second was fatal.

Zavadsky – the death no one agrees on

November 2023. Some say he stepped on a Russian landmine in Kharkiv. Others say he was killed in action. Major General Vladimir Zavadsky’s death remains unclear. Russia stayed vague.

Klimenko – killed at a checkpoint

November 2023. Donetsk region. Ukrainian drone strike. Major General Pavel Klimenko was 47. Russia confirmed his death. Ukrainian sources say he ran a torture camp. Claims unverified.

Kirillov – bombed in Moscow

December 2024. A car exploded outside his apartment. Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov was killed instantly. Ukraine’s SBU claimed responsibility.

Kirillov had led Russia’s chemical weapons division. Ukraine blamed him for toxic gas attacks.

Moskalik – killed in another blast

April 2025. A car exploded in Balashikha, a suburb of Moscow. Deputy head of the Russian General Staff’s operations directorate, Yaroslav Moskalik, was inside. He did not survive.

Now, Gudkov

Kursk. July 2025. Major General Mikhail Gudkov, former naval officer who was recently deployed to coordinate southern defenses, was killed by precision strike.

Moscow confirmed the hit.

The list keeps growing. Ukraine’s war is no longer confined to trenches and drones. It is targeting the men in charge. Airbases. Checkpoints. Even homes in Moscow suburbs. No rank is safe.

And each name erased is more than a battlefield casualty. It is a message. Ukraine is watching. Waiting. Striking.