At least 19 Russian generals have been killed since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, according to open-source data and reports from Russian and Ukrainian sources, reports the Insider. Not all of the deaths have been officially confirmed by Moscow.
Losses among senior command have been recorded both at the front and in the rear — including strikes on headquarters, aviation incidents, sabotage, and explosions inside Russia. Several generals were killed by sniper or artillery fire in the early months of the war.
In 2022, the deaths of Generals Andrei Sukhovetsky, Oleg Mityaev, Vladimir Frolov, Andrei Simonov, Kanamat Botashev, and Roman Kutuzov became known. In subsequent years, the list grew to include Sergei Goryachev, Oleg Tsokov, Vladimir Zavadsky, and others.
In 2024 and 2025, those killed included Igor Kirillov, the chief of Russia’s Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection Troops; Yaroslav Moskalik, deputy chief of the General Staff’s Main Operational Directorate; Mikhail Gudkov, deputy commander-in-chief of the Russian Navy; and Fanil Sarvarov, head of the General Staff’s Operational Training Directorate, who was killed by a car bomb in Moscow.
Some of those killed were retired at the time of their deaths or were serving in volunteer and assault formations, including “Storm Z” units and private military companies.
Full list, in chronological order
- Andrei Sukhovetsky — Major General
Deputy commander of the 41st Combined Arms Army. Killed on February 28, 2022, in Chernihiv region — reportedly shot by a sniper. He was the first general whose death was confirmed by the Russian side.
- Oleg Mityaev - Major General
Commander of the 150th Motorized Rifle Division. Believed to have been killed during the battle for Mariupol in spring 2022. Ukraine’s Azov Battalion claimed responsibility; the information was partly corroborated by pro-war sources in Russia.
- Vladimir Frolov - Major General
Deputy commander of the 8th Combined Arms Army. Killed on March 10, 2022, in Mariupol, officially said to be by sniper fire.
- Andrei Simonov -Major General
Head of electronic warfare troops of the Western Military District. Reportedly killed on April 30, 2022, after an artillery strike on a command post near Izium in Kharkiv region.
- Kanamat Botashev - Major General (ret.)
After leaving service, took part in combat with the Wagner PMC. His Su-25 aircraft was shot down by Ukrainian forces on May 22, 2022; his death was acknowledged by Russian authorities.
- Roman Kutuzov - Lieutenant General
Chief of staff and first deputy commander of the 8th Combined Arms Army. Killed on June 5, 2022, near Popasna in Luhansk region. His death was officially confirmed.
- Dmitry Ulyanov — Major General (ret.)
Commanded a regiment formed from mobilized men in Tatarstan. Killed on February 6, 2023.
- Sergei Goryachev - Major General
Chief of staff of the 35th Combined Arms Army. Killed on June 12, 2023, after a strike on the army headquarters in Prymorsk during Ukraine’s counteroffensive.
- Oleg Tsokov - Lieutenant General
Deputy commander of the Southern Military District. Killed on July 11, 2023, in a strike on a backup command post of the 58th Army in Berdyansk.
- Vladimir Zavadsky - Major General
Deputy commander of the 14th Army Corps. Killed on November 28, 2023, near the village of Krynky in Kherson region — either by a mine explosion or shelling, according to differing accounts.
- Igor Trifonov - Major General of Police (stripped of rank)
Former head of the Yekaterinburg city police, previously convicted of bribery. Killed in combat on December 12, 2023, according to Russian sources.
- Andrei Golovatsky - Major General (ret.)
Previously served as first deputy chief of staff of the North Caucasus Regional Command of the Interior Troops of the Interior Ministry. Killed on June 30, 2024.
- Ildar Saidov - Major General of the Customs Service
After mobilization, was assigned to the “Storm Z” assault unit. Killed on September 14, 2024.
- Pavel Klimenko - Major General
Commander of the 5th Guards Brigade. Killed on November 6, 2024; his death was officially confirmed.
- Igor Kirillov - Lieutenant General
Chief of Russia’s Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection Troops. Killed on December 17, 2024, in an explosion on Ryazansky Prospekt in Moscow; his driver also died.
- Konstantin Smeshko -Major General
Died on December 26, 2024, inside Russia. Circumstances were not officially disclosed; reports mentioned either an airstrike or a HIMARS strike.
- Yaroslav Moskalik -Lieutenant General
Deputy chief of the General Staff’s Main Operational Directorate. Killed on April 25, 2025, in an explosion on Russian territory.
- Mikhail Gudkov - Guards Major General
Deputy commander-in-chief of the Russian Navy. Ukrainian media reported he was killed in a missile strike on July 2, 2025; Russia said he died “while carrying out a combat mission” in Kursk region.
- Fanil Sarvarov - Lieutenant General
Head of the General Staff’s Operational Training Directorate. Killed on December 22, 2025, when a car rigged with explosives detonated in Moscow. His death was officially confirmed.
Also in 2022, reports claimed Major General Kolesnikov had been killed; however, in 2023 TV host and propagandist Vladimir Solovyov aired what he said was a fresh report from Syria featuring Kolesnikov, who had taken the post of deputy commander of the Russian grouping there.
