Russians Mourn Two Elite Colonels Killed in Storm Shadow strike on army HQ

Two Russian officers were killed in a Ukrainian attack on an army headquarters in the Kursk region in a Storm Shadow missile strike, it has been reported.

Russian Telegram channels said that the two lieutenant colonels died on December 30 following Ukraine's attack on a bunker in Lgov.

Newsweek has contacted the Russian and Ukrainian defense ministries for comment by email.

Image from Farnborough, England, on July 22, 2024, shows a Storm Shadow missile. It has been reported that the missile was used in a strike against a Russian Army HQ in Kursk on December 30... John Keeble/Getty Images

Why it matters

As well as delivering a blow to Russia's military by killing officers, the reported use of a Storm Shadow shows Kyiv's determination to make gains in Russia's Kursk region where it has launched another offensive following weeks of losing ground.

What to know

In November, the U.S. allowed Ukraine to use its longer-range weapons such as ATACMS inside Russian territory. The same month, Kyiv reportedly launched a British-French Storm Shadow missile which can penetrate hardened bunkers.

Lieutenant colonels from Russia's 76th Pskov Division of the Russian Airborne Forces, Valery Tereshchenko and Pavel Maletsky were killed in the Ukrainian missile strike on the Russian military HQ on December 30, it was reported.

Video on the Telegram channel Russia No Context purported to show the aftermath of the impact where flames are blazing and a voice saying, "the guys are all in the bunker, there are many people."

The death of Tereshchenko, chief of communications for the 76th Airborne Division, was confirmed by the Telegram channel the Officers' Hockey League.

An obituary on the channel said that Tereshchenko, who had fought in the war since October 2022 had died in the missile strike which killed a total of eight officers and injured 22 other personnel.

It announced a funeral scheduled for January 5, adding that "his path, full of courage, fearlessness and heroism, was cut short" and that "words are powerless."

Maletsky's death was confirmed on the social network VKontakte where one of the tributes described "my close friend and comrade."

Other Ukrainian strikes on Kursk using western-supplied missiles included a strike on a command post of Russia's 810th Naval Infantry Brigade in Belaya on Tuesday, according to Ukraine's General Staff which did not reveal casualties.

Ukrainian forces also reportedly used a HIMARS to strike a different 810th Naval Infantry Brigade command post near Lgov, Kursk Oblast, on December 25, killing the brigade's deputy commander and other staff officers.

What people are saying

Russian Officers' Ice Hockey League Telegram channel: "With sorrow in our hearts, we inform you that Guards Lieutenant Colonel of the Airborne Forces, Chief of Communications of the 76th Pskov Airborne Division, player of the OKO hockey club Valery Borisovich Tereshchenko died while performing his military duty."

A tribute on VKontakte to Pavel Maletsky said: "There is tragic news … my close friend and comrade, be a warrior—live forever."

What happens next

Ukraine has made some gains in Kursk since it launched a fresh offensive on Sunday following weeks of losing the territory it had captured in the early stages of its incursion that started on August 6, and there could be further Ukrainian strikes using western-supplied weapons in the coming weeks.

However, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said Tuesday that Russian forces had also regained positions in the region. Kursk will continue to be a key focus for Ukraine's forces as possible leverage in any peace negotiations with Moscow.