Ukrainian Forces Report Killing of Decorated Russian General

A Ukrainian drone commander has announced that his forces killed a decorated Russian major general in eastern Ukraine. Robert Brovdi, who leads Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, stated that one of his units executed a nighttime strike on the general’s position within a Russian-held area of the Donetsk region.

The officer identified as Major General Anton Grunis was reportedly killed on September 12. According to Brovdi, this marks the seventh Russian military commander to be killed by his drone forces. While the Ukrainian commander shared these details via a Telegram post on Wednesday, these assertions have not been independently verified.

Major General Grunis had recently received significant recognition for his service, including the Gold Star Hero of Russia award, which was presented to him at a ceremony in late August. Earlier this year, he gained public attention after reporting to President Vladimir Putin that troops under his command had helped capture the Ukrainian stronghold of Kostiantynivka. This territorial claim remains disputed by Kyiv and independent military analysts.

The Russian Ministry of Defence does not routinely confirm the battlefield deaths of senior personnel. However, Russian commander Apti Alaudinov acknowledged the death of Grunis in a post on the Telegram messaging app, though he did not provide specific details regarding the circumstances of the incident.

Prior to his death, Grunis had been active in official military communications. On July 3, he addressed President Putin via a video link during a televised security meeting. His death follows a period of high-profile military activity, as he had been featured prominently in state media just weeks before the reported strike.