Another Russian general killed in war against Ukraine

Media reports have suggested that Major General Anton Grunis, Commander of the Russian Armed Forces' 4th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade, was killed in the war against Ukraine shortly after reporting to Russian ruler Vladimir Putin on the "capture" of Kostiantynivka.

Source: Russian propaganda agency Anna News, citing a source in the 4th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade; Suvorovskoe Bratstvo, the Telegram channel of the Suvorov military school alumni community; Russian media outlet Astra

Details: The exact circumstances, date and location of the Russian general's death have not yet been disclosed.

On 28 August, the Russian Defence Ministry reported that Defence Minister Andrei Belousov had honoured Grunis with Russia's highest state decoration, presenting him with the Gold Star of the Hero of the Russian Federation "for courage and heroism displayed in the performance of his military duty".

The unit commanded by the general took a direct part in the fighting for the city of Kostiantynivka in Donetsk Oblast, which Russian forces have been trying to capture since October 2025.

As early as July, the Russian General Staff and Grunis personally reported to Putin that the city had supposedly been fully occupied. A spokesperson for Ukraine's General Staff denied these claims.

According to publicly available information, Grunis graduated from the Kazan Suvorov Military School in 1996, before turning 17. He took part in the wars in Chechnya and against Georgia.

In 2021, the general retired from active service but returned to the Russian armed forces after the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Under his command, Russian forces were active on the Bakhmut and Kostiantynivka fronts.

The 4th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade (military unit No. 40318), commanded by Grunis, was formed in 2014 from illegal armed formations of the so-called "Luhansk People's Republic", a Moscow-backed terrorist organisation. It included, among others, the Prizrak terrorist group.

After these formations were integrated into the regular Russian armed forces, the brigade became part of the 2nd Army Corps. It was later incorporated into the newly formed 3rd Guards Combined Arms Army of Russia's Southern Military District.

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