appointed by President Vladimir Putin to the senior naval post in March, was killed during what Russia's defence ministry described as "combat work" in the western Kursk region, which borders Ukraine's Sumy region. The ministry gave no further details about the operation. Last summer Ukraine launched a surprise offensive in Kursk. While its troops have mostly been driven out, in June Kyiv said it was still holding onto small areas of the region.

Gudkov's death is one of the most high-profile losses for Moscow since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. According to Oleg Kozhemyako, governor of the Primorsky region in Russia's Far East, ten others were also killed in the incident. Kozhemyako made the announcement on Telegram, where he described Gudkov as a loyal officer who died "carrying out his duty". Unconfirmed reports from Russian and Ukrainian military-linked Telegram channels suggest the deaths were the result of a Ukrainian missile strike on a Russian command post near the town of Korenevo, around 30km (19 miles) from the border. Ukraine has not officially commented on the attack - consistent with its usual policy of not confirming targeted strikes on Russian territory. (BBC)