A high-ranking Russian general serving as deputy commander of the navy was killed during “combat operations” in the Kursk region, officials said Thursday, amid ongoing fighting in the area.

Mikhail Gudkov, 42, had served in the military since 2000 and was made “Hero of the Russian Federation” by President Vladimir Putin in 2023 — the Kremlin’s highest honour.

He is one of the most senior Russian military officers to have been killed since Moscow launched its offensive on Ukraine in February 2022.

The governor said that, even after becoming deputy commander of the Russian navy, Gudkov “did not stop going out in person to the positions of our marines”.

Ukrainian forces captured large parts of Kursk in a surprise offensive last year — a response to Russia’s full-scale campaign against their country which began in 2022.

Russia in April said it had fully recaptured the territory but clashes in the border region have continued.

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