Russian general killed in occupied Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine's drone forces say
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Russian Maj. Gen. Anton Grunis, commander of Russia's 4th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade, was killed in a Ukrainian drone strike in occupied Donetsk Oblast on Sept. 12, Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces confirmed on Sept. 16.
"The general Grunis was eliminated on Sept. 12, 2026, in his nighttime lair in the temporarily occupied territory of Donetsk Oblast," Robert "Madyar" Brovdi, commander of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces, said.
The 427th Separate Unmanned Systems Brigade "Rarog" carried out the strike with their drones, Brovdi said.
The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify the circumstances of Grunis' death.
Apti Alaudinov, commander of Russia's Akhmat special forces and deputy head of the Russian Armed Forces' Main Military-Political Directorate, also confirmed Grunis' death, according to Russian independent outlet Astra.
In July, Grunis personally briefed Russian President Vladimir Putin on Moscow's claimed capture of Kostiantynivka, one of Ukraine's fortress cities in Donetsk Oblast. Ukraine's General Staff and President Volodymyr Zelensky rejected the claim, saying Russian forces had not captured the city.
Fighting for Kostiantynivka has continued since, with Russian forces attempting to seize the city as part of their offensive in Donetsk Oblast.
On Aug. 27, Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov awarded Grunis the Gold Star and the title of Hero of Russia for what Moscow described as "courage and heroism" during Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Brovdi said Grunis was the seventh Russian commander at brigade, division, or army level whose death had been confirmed following strikes by Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces.
On Sept. 14, Russian media reported that Lt. Gen. Sergei Milchakov, commander of Russia's 51st Combined Arms Army, had been killed in a Ukrainian strike on a command post in occupied Donetsk Oblast. Russia has not publicly confirmed Milchakov's death.
