Ukraine kills top Russian Navy Commander who Putin just promoted

Officials have confirmed the death of Deputy Commander in Chief of the Russian Navy Mikhail Gudkov in the Kursk region, saying he died along with others during a combat mission near the border with Ukraine on July 2.

Ukrainian media outlets had earlier reported the major general’s death in a HIMARS strike, citing pro-Russian military bloggers. Now, Russia’s Ministry of Defense and the Governor of Primorye Oleg Kozhemyako have confirmed the loss of Gudkov.

Russian President Vladimir Putin had promoted Gudkov, 42, to his position on March 28, the Institute for the Study of War think tank reported.

He was previously the commander of the 155th Separate Guards Brigade of the Pacific Fleet Naval Infantry. “Eternal memory to the hero,” the Defense Ministry wrote on Telegram while announcing the news of Gudkov’s death.

It is a significant move for Ukrainian forces, who are under intense pressure from Russian advances in the east and the looming threat of a summer offensive—with 50,000 of Moscow’s

troops amassed near the Sumy border.

Russia has also pounded Ukrainian cities with missiles and drones, resulting in dozens of casualties. Moscow has also accused Ukraine of hitting residential areas, resulting in deaths and injuries.

U.S. Scraps Arms Shipment
Ukraine suffered a blow recently when the Trump administration scrapped a planned shipment of weapons following a Pentagon review, with the U.S. saying it needed to replenish its own stockpiles instead.

Washington has been Ukraine’s most significant military backer since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. But U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has been disengaging from the war, and no end to the fighting is in sight despite recent direct peace talks.

Trump is trying to broker an end to the war, a process he has found frustrating and difficult, having entered the White House on a pledge that he could bring about peace on day one.

The Kremlin welcomed the U.S.’s decision to suspend some arms deliveries to Ukraine. Dmitry Peskov, a spokesperson for Putin, told reporters that the war in Ukraine would end more quickly if fewer Western weapons were supplied to Kyiv.

Trump had previously said, however, that he was considering sending more Patriot air defense missiles to Ukraine to help it defend against Russian strikes.

Ukraine Looks to Europe for Arms
European countries don’t have the production levels, military stockpiles or technology to pick up all the slack left by the U.S.’s pause, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is recruiting their help for ambitious joint investment projects.

Draft legislation to help Ukrainian defense manufacturers scale up and modernize production, including building new facilities at home and abroad, will be put to a vote in the Ukrainian parliament later this month, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov announced this week.

Zelensky said last month that major investments would go to the production of drones and artillery shells. “The volume of support this year is the largest since the start of the full-scale war,” he said about commitments from foreign countries.

Under Trump, there have been no new announcements of U.S. military or weapons aid to Ukraine. Between March and April, the United States allocated no new help at all, according to Germany’s Kiel Institute, which tracks such support.

For the first time since June 2022, four months after Russia’s full-scale invasion began, European countries have surpassed the U.S. in total military aid, providing 72 billion euros ($85 billion) compared with 65 billion euros from the U.S., the institute reported last month.