News Desk
MOSCOW: A senior Russian naval officer has been killed in what Moscow describes as a Ukrainian strike deep inside Russian territory, marking yet another grim milestone in the steadily escalating conflict that has engulfed the region for over two years. Major General Mikhail Godkov, Deputy Chief of the Russian Navy, lost his life near the border with Ukraine in the Kursk region, according to a statement by the Russian Ministry of Defence.
His death underlines the intensifying nature of the war and exposes the widening reach of Kyiv’s military operations, with Western backing playing a decisive role. Godkov, appointed only in March 2025 by President Vladimir Putin, was no ordinary officer. Known for his leadership of the 155th Naval Infantry Brigade of the Pacific Fleet, a unit deeply involved in frontline combat in eastern Ukraine and border skirmishes.
He had been recognized with Russia’s highest military honor, the Hero of the Russian Federation Gold Star, awarded personally by Putin at the Kremlin earlier this year. His death, along with at least 10 other soldiers as confirmed by the governor of Russia’s far-eastern Primorsky region, Oleg Kozhemyako, underscores the personal cost borne by Russia’s military elite as the conflict grinds on.
The attack reportedly occurred near the village of Korenevo, just 30 kilometers from Ukraine’s Sumy region, an area that has become a flashpoint in the tit-for-tat violence that has increasingly spilled across borders. While Russian authorities have not explicitly confirmed the strike’s Ukrainian origins, the widespread belief is that Kyiv, with assistance from Western powers, launched a targeted missile strike on a Russian command post.
