42-year-old Gudkov was deputy commander of the Russian navy and had received several awards. He is described as one of the highest-ranking military personnel killed by Ukraine since the full-scale Russian invasion war began in February 2022.
According to unofficial Russian and Ukrainian Telegram channels, Gudkov, along with ten other people, was killed in a Ukrainian attack earlier in the week.
Ukraine launched a surprise offensive against the border region of Kursk in August last year and then held parts of the area for several months. In March, President Vladimir Putin ordered the Russian military to "completely liberate" Kursk and by the end of April, Moscow claimed that the area had been recaptured. However, fighting has occurred in Kursk.
