Kyiv – Ukrainian drone commander Robert Brovdi announced that his Unmanned Systems Forces killed Russian Major General Anton Grunis in a nighttime strike on September 12 in the Russian‑held portion of Donetsk region. Brovdi posted the claim on Telegram, noting that Grunis was the seventh senior Russian officer eliminated by Ukrainian drone operations.

Background on General Grunis

Major General Anton Grunis had been honored earlier this year with the Gold Star “Hero of Russia” award after a televised briefing with President Vladimir Putin. In July, Grunis praised his 4th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade for its role in the claimed capture of the eastern Ukrainian city of Kostiantynivka, a claim disputed by Kyiv and independent analysts.

At the award ceremony in late August, Grunis appeared in full dress uniform, standing at the front of a line of officers. During a video link with President Putin on July 3, he detailed his brigade’s actions, prompting Putin to say, “Luck comes to those who do the work.”

Ukrainian response and Russian confirmation

Brovdi’s Telegram post stated that the strike on September 12 eliminated General Grunis, adding that his forces have now taken down seven Russian commanders. Reuters could not independently verify the claim, but the Russian Defence Ministry does not routinely confirm battlefield deaths of senior officers.

Nevertheless, Russian commander Apti Alaudinov posted on Telegram that General Grunis had died, though he offered no further details.

Strategic context

The incident comes amid ongoing fighting in the Donbas region. While Russian advances have slowed this year, Moscow continues to press for control of strategic cities such as Kostiantynivka, a key demand in stalled negotiations with Kyiv. The U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War assessed that Russian forces had infiltrated but not fully seized the city, describing the claim of its capture as part of an information campaign to portray Ukrainian frontlines as collapsing.

Ukrainian officials maintain that they retain control of Kostiantynivka, and the city remains a focal point of the broader conflict in eastern Ukraine.

Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.