Key facts
- Maj. Gen. Anton Grunis, commander of Russia's 4th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade, was killed in a Ukrainian drone strike.
- Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces confirmed Grunis' death on Sept. 16, 2026.
- The strike occurred on Sept. 12, 2026, in occupied Donetsk Oblast.
- Robert "Madyar" Brovdi, commander of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces, stated Grunis was eliminated in his "nighttime lair."
- The 427th Separate Unmanned Systems Brigade "Rarog" carried out the drone strike.
- Grunis was the seventh Russian commander at brigade, division, or army level confirmed killed by Ukrainian Unmanned Systems Forces.
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.
Robert "Madyar" Brovdi, commander of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces, stated that Grunis was eliminated on Sept. 12, 2026, in his "nighttime lair" in the occupied territory. He added that the 427th Separate Unmanned Systems Brigade "Rarog" conducted the strike. 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 had briefed Russian President Vladimir Putin on Moscow's claimed capture of Kostiantynivka, a city in Donetsk Oblast. Ukraine's General Staff and President Volodymyr Zelensky rejected this claim, stating that Russian forces had not captured the city. Fighting for Kostiantynivka has continued.
On Aug. 27, Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov awarded Grunis the Gold Star and the title of Hero of Russia for "courage and heroism" during Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Brovdi noted that Grunis was the seventh Russian commander at brigade, division, or army level whose death has been confirmed following strikes by Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces. Russian media reported on Sept. 14 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, though Russia has not publicly confirmed Milchakov's death.