Ukrainian Drone Strike Kills Russian Major General, Named “Hero of Russia” Days Earlier (VIDEO)

The Russian army has suffered a significant loss with the killing of Major General Anton Feliksovich Grunysh, one of its most prominent figures in the war in Ukraine and an officer that Moscow’s state media had portrayed as a particularly successful frontline commander.

The Ukrainian side claims that the 46-year-old general was killed on September 12 by a drone strike near Kintrativka, in the Donetsk region. The commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, Robert Brovdy, announced that his forces carried out the strike. Russia has now confirmed Grunysh’s death, but without officially announcing the circumstances in which he was killed.

Originally from Tatarstan, Grunysh had a long military career. He had served in the Second Chechen War, the 2008 Russia-Georgia war, Russian operations during the 2014 annexation of Crimea and in Syria, before taking up duties in the war that began with Russia’s full invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

First information about his death appeared on a Russian military Telegram channel, “Suvorov Brotherhood,” where an obituary was published for the graduate of the Kazan Suvorov Military School.

A video published by Ukrainian military sources attributes the strike to the 427th Unmanned Systems “Rarog” Brigade. The footage shows kamikaze drones directed at buildings in the Kintrativka area, followed by powerful explosions and fires.

However, the material itself does not prove that Grunysh was inside the specific buildings at the time of the strike.

Ukrainian military leadership claims the Russian general was killed there, while Reuters noted it has not been able to independently confirm all the details of the strike.

His death came a little more than two weeks after he received one of Russia’s highest military decorations.

On August 27, Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov awarded him the “Gold Star” and the title “Hero of the Russian Federation” for his actions in Ukraine. Russian state media at the time showed him saying he felt honored by the award and was confident in Russia’s final victory.

Grunysh had gained major visibility in Russia through repeated appearances in state media. He held the nickname “The Terrible” and was portrayed as a harsh frontline commander.