20 Senior Officers Killed In Donetsk Missile Strike, Largest Such Hit of the War

A targeted missile strike on two regional Russian army headquarters command posts in occupied Donetsk has revealed, according to subsequent research, that at least 20 mid and senior level officers were killed, effectively decapitating an entire Russian Combined Arms Army which also oversaw the central military district of Donetsk.

The significance of this strike is not just the loss of leadership, but the destruction of two commands which were coordinating the Russian offensives against Ukrainian positions in central and northern Donetsk. This loss has contributed to the faltering Russian assaults in those areas as well as aiding the success of Ukraine's Operation Vivaldi. JL   

Taras Safronov reports in Militarnyi:

At least 20 Russian military officers were killed on August 26 in a missile strike on Donetsk. Of these, 18 died that same day, while two others later died from their injuries. Storm Shadow/SCALP-EG missiles were used during the strike. One of the strikes hit a building at 97 Ilyich Avenue, which housed research and industrial institutions before the war. The other target was an underground parking garage with 600 parking spaces beneath an unfinished residential complex—six missiles struck that location. Both sites were being used as command posts by the Russian army. They served at the headquarters of the Central Military District and of the 41st Guards Combined Arms Army. This is the largest known incident to date involving the deaths of Russian Army officers during the Russo-Ukrainian war.

Journalists have identified at least 20 Russian military officers who were killed on August 26 in a missile strike on Donetsk.

The publication Mediazona identified the officers’ surnames.

Of these, 18 died that same day, while two others later died from their injuries. 

They served at the headquarters of the Center military group: the headquarters of the Central Military District and the headquarters of the 41st Guards Combined Arms Army. 

The head of the occupation administration, Denis Pushilin, reported on his Telegram channel that the target was the Donetsk City shopping center.

According to him, Storm Shadow/SCALP-EG missiles were used during the strike. 

The Exile+ channel claimed that one of the strikes hit a building at 97 Ilyich Avenue, which housed research and industrial institutions before the war. 

The Ukrainian Telegram channel CyberBoroshno added that one of the targets was an underground parking garage with 600 parking spaces beneath an unfinished residential complex—six missiles struck that location.

Ukrainian OSINT projects speculated that both sites were being used as command posts by the Russian army.

Lists of fatalities

Mediazona published lists of personnel from the headquarters of the Central Military District (military unit No. 33303) and the headquarters of the 41st Guards Combined Arms Army (military unit No. 44424).

The data in these lists is current as of July 2025. In addition to surnames, they include military ranks, positions, and other information.

After cross-referencing these lists with the register of inheritance cases and other state registries, as well as reviewing obituaries of high-ranking officers published over the past month, Mediazona concluded that at least 20 people were killed as a result of the strike on Donetsk on August 26: 18 died that same day, and two others later died from their injuries.List: 

Colonel Artem Sergeyevich Berdyugin, 38, head of the Intelligence Planning and Coordination Division of the Intelligence Directorate;

• Colonel Aleksandr Grigoryevich Kalyanov, 50, head of the Special Intelligence Division of the Intelligence Directorate;
• Colonel Sergey Vladimirovich Legkyi, 47 years old, Deputy Chief of the Electronic Warfare Forces of the Electronic Warfare Forces Directorate;
• Lieutenant Colonel Yuriy Vyacheslavovych Zhigalov, 39 years old, Head of the Joint Training and Inter-Service Coordination Section of the Organizational and Planning Division of the Combat Training Directorate;
• Major Sergey Viktorovich Lykov, 37 years old, an officer in the Operations Division of the Missile Forces and Artillery Command Headquarters;
• Major Vyacheslav Valeryevich Latyshev, 41 years old, an officer in the Coordination and Directives Section of the Operations Division of the Engineer Troops Command;
• Major Dmitriy Valeriyevich Ovcharenko, 34 years old, head of the Engineering Training Section for Combined-Arms Formations and Military Units within the Troop Training Division of the Engineering Troops Command;
• Major Anton Nikolayevich Shcherbanov, 36 years old, an officer in the Intelligence Planning and Coordination Division of the Intelligence Directorate;
• Colonel Sergey Vladimirovich Laptev, 48 years old, Head of the Department—Deputy Chief of Staff of the Operations Department;
• Colonel Vasiliy Viktorovich Latyshev, 55 years old, Chief of Staff—Deputy Commander of the Missile Forces and Artillery at the headquarters of the Missile Forces and Artillery Department;
• Colonel Yevgeniy Aleksandrovich Timkin, 39 years old, Head of the Engineer Troops Department;
• Lieutenant Colonel Artem Leonidovich Akimov, 42, Deputy Commander of the Air Defense Forces;
• Lieutenant Colonel Andrey Viktorovich Moiseyenko, 42, Senior Officer of the Command and Control Division of the Operations Department of the Army Headquarters;
• Lieutenant Colonel Rustam Ayratovich Fakhrutdinov, 43, Chief of Intelligence—Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence in the Intelligence and Automated Troop Command System Section of the Missile Forces and Artillery Division Headquarters;
• Major Oleg Eduardovich Berezovskiy, 34 years old, an information security officer in the Division for the Organization of Classification and Protection of Information from Unauthorized Access at Computing Facilities of the State Secrets Protection Service;
• Captain Kirill Sergeyevich Polozkov, 28 years old, an officer in the Intelligence Department;
• Senior Lieutenant Oleg Anatolyevich Golubenko, 26 years old, an officer in the Intelligence and Automated Troop Command System Section of the headquarters of the Missile Forces and Artillery Department;
• Colonel Andrey Vladimirovich Krestyanskiy, 51 years old, senior instructor and inspector at the Ministry of Defense’s Center for Training Command Personnel of Military Units;

• Lieutenant Colonel Denis Petrovich Pavlov, 35 years old; last known place of service: the 15th Guards Motor Rifle Regiment;
• Lieutenant Colonel Viktor Vladimirovich Basenko, 46 years old; last known position: Chief of Staff for Logistics of the 25th Guards Combined Arms Army.

 

• This is the largest known incident to date involving the deaths of Russian Army officers during the Russo-Ukrainian war.