Russian Major General Anton Grunis Killed in Ukraine, Ukrainian Drone Forces Say

KYIV (Terror Monitor) — Russian Major General Anton Grunis, commander of the 4th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade, has been killed during the war in Ukraine, according to Russian and Ukrainian sources.

Grunis, who was known by the military callsign “Grozny,” was recently awarded the title of Hero of Russia after reporting to Russian President Vladimir Putin that Russian forces had taken full control of the eastern Ukrainian city of Kostiantynivka.

His death was confirmed on September 16 by Lieutenant General Apti Alaudinov, commander of the Akhmat special forces unit and deputy head of Russia’s Main Military-Political Directorate. Alaudinov did not disclose when or how Grunis died.

The circumstances of Grunis’s death initially remained unclear. However, Robert “Madyar” Brovdi, commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, later said that Grunis was killed on September 12 in a Ukrainian drone strike in Russian-occupied Donetsk region.

Brovdi released video footage that he said showed the operation against Grunis and said the strike was carried out by the 427th Separate Unmanned Systems Brigade, known as Rarog. Reuters reported that Brovdi attributed the killing to Ukrainian drone forces, while noting that his account of the operation had not been independently verified.

The Russian Defense Ministry has not publicly provided details about the circumstances of Grunis’s death.

Grunis Reported the Capture of Kostiantynivka

Grunis had been commanding the 4th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade, which was involved in Russia’s offensive toward Kostiantynivka in Donetsk region.

In July, Grunis reported to Putin that Russian forces had completely taken control of the city. Russian authorities subsequently presented the operation as a major battlefield achievement, and Grunis was awarded the title of Hero of Russia in late August.

The status of Kostiantynivka, however, remains disputed. Ukrainian authorities have rejected Russia’s assertion that the city was fully captured, while independent assessments have reported that fighting and Ukrainian positions remained in and around the city. The Insider reported that OSINT group Black Bird Group and the Institute for the Study of War continued to document fighting in the city, while Russian military bloggers also reported the presence of Ukrainian positions in areas they described as a “gray zone.”

Reuters also reported that Ukraine disputes Russia’s claim regarding full control of Kostiantynivka.

Reports of Strikes Near Alchevsk

Before Ukrainian officials identified a drone strike as the cause of Grunis’s death, Russian independent outlet Vazhnye Istorii reported that leaked information indicated he had been associated with Alchevsk, a city in the Russian-occupied part of Luhansk region.

The report noted that Ukrainian forces had carried out strikes in the area on September 13, including attacks that Ukrainian sources said targeted Russian military logistics and weapons-storage facilities. However, there has been no independent confirmation establishing a direct connection between those strikes and Grunis’s death.

Brovdi’s later statement placed Grunis’s death on September 12 in occupied Donetsk region, but did not provide publicly verifiable evidence establishing the precise location of the strike.

Military Career

Grunis, born in Kazan in 1979, had a long military career and participated in several Russian military campaigns.

According to Russian and independent reports, he served in the Second Chechen War, the 2008 Russia-Georgia war and Russia’s military campaign in Syria. Reports also say he was involved in Russia’s annexation of Crimea.

Grunis retired from military service in 2021 but returned to active duty following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In 2023, he became chief of staff of the 4th Motor Rifle Brigade and later took command following the death of its previous commander, Vyacheslav Makarov.

The brigade had also participated in Russia’s fighting around Bakhmut, where it operated alongside Wagner forces, according to reports.

In May 2024, Putin awarded Grunis the rank of major general. In August 2026, he received the Gold Star medal associated with the Hero of Russia title.

Ukrainian Claim of Drone Operation

Brovdi said Grunis was the seventh senior Russian commander at brigade, division or army level killed by Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces. Reuters noted that this broader claim has not been independently verified.

The reported death of Grunis comes amid continued Russian and Ukrainian efforts to target senior military personnel, command posts and logistics facilities behind the front lines.

While Russian officials have confirmed Grunis’s death, the precise circumstances, location and operational details surrounding his killing remain subject to competing accounts from the two sides.