Ukrainian intelligence: Russian Lt. Gen. Esedulla Abachev loses arm and leg after Kursk region strike
Ukrainian Forces struck a Russian convoy overnight on August 17 along the Rylsk–Khomutovka highway in Russia’s Kursk region, seriously wounding Lt. Gen. Esedulla Abachev, deputy commander of the Russian military’s “North” grouping, Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence (GUR) said.
Abachev was urgently airlifted by military transport to the Vishnevsky Central Clinical Hospital in Moscow, where doctors amputated an arm and a leg, the agency said.
“For every war crime against the Ukrainian people, there will be just retribution,” GUR added.
Earlier, the pro-war Russian Telegram channel “Severny Kanal,” which is linked to Russia’s armed forces, reported the loss of the Russian general.
“Tonight in the Kursk region the Russian army lost another general. He is alive but in serious condition: a traumatic amputation of an arm and part of a leg. We are awaiting details. We hope officials won’t try to hide this information the way they once did with Gudkov. The victim is receiving all necessary medical care,” the channel wrote.
Since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia’s military has suffered unprecedented losses among senior officers. Western analysts say that by 2025, the deaths of more than two dozen Russian generals have been confirmed—an exceptional occurrence in modern warfare. For comparison, during the Second Chechen War, Russia lost 10 generals over nearly a decade of fighting.
Among those killed are Maj. Gen. Mikhail Gudkov, deputy commander-in-chief of Russia’s Navy, who was killed by a Ukrainian missile strike in the Kursk region on July 2, 2025. Also killed was Maj. Gen. Sergei Ilyin, commander of the 155th Naval Infantry Brigade, which has been accused of war crimes in Bucha and Irpin. His death also resulted from a Ukrainian strike in the Kursk region.
Analysts say the scale of losses among Russia’s top command highlights both the training and effectiveness of Ukraine’s Defense Forces and serious shortcomings in the organization and security of Russia’s armed forces.