A deputy regional governor has become the most senior Russian government official to die fighting against Ukraine.
Sergey Efremov, the deputy governor of the eastern Primorsky Krai region, died in Kursk, where Russian forces have been trying to beat back a Ukrainian invasion since last August.
Efremov was reportedly killed along with a military officer on Friday when their vehicle struck a landmine and blew up.
“I know that his friends and comrades will do everything to avenge him,” Oleg Kozhemyako, the governor of Primorsky Krai, said in an emotional video.
His deputy had died a “hero”, Mr Kozhemyako said.
“He honoured and courageously fulfilled combat missions there, glorifying the marine infantry, glorifying the Tigers and Primorsky Krai,” the governor added, sharing a photo of Efremov.
His death on the battlefield is significant for Russia as senior government officials have typically avoided taking up combat roles during the Ukraine war.
Efremov, 51, had graduated from Russia’s prestigious airborne officers college in Ryazan and was known for setting up a volunteer unit called the Tigers in June 2022.
Efremov went back to Primorsky Krai in 2023, but rejoined the Tigers after Ukrainian forces invaded the Russian border region of Kursk.
While Moscow is yet to officially confirm Efremov’s death on the battlefield, Denis Pushilin, head of the Donetsk People’s Republic, a separatist region in eastern Ukraine that is controlled by Russia, expressed condolences about the loss on his Telegram channel.
“He has always shown keen interest in the topic of socio-economic development of the Donetsk People’s Republic and strengthening ties between our region and Primorye. His death is an irreparable loss,” Mr Pushilin wrote, adding that he was personally acquainted with the deputy governor. Kyiv has not confirmed Efremov’s death.
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine crossed its 1000th day in November last year, a grim milestone in Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War Two.
More than 12,300 civilians have been killed in the Ukraine war since Russia invaded nearly three years ago, a UN official told a UN meeting in January, noting a spike in casualties due to the use of drones, long-range missiles and glide bombs.
