ISTANBUL — A top Russian marine commander, who was recently promoted by President Vladimir Putin, has been killed in the Kursk region near the Ukrainian border, Russia’s Defense Ministry said in a statement Thursday.

The officer, Maj. Gen. Mikhail Gudkov, was the deputy chief of the Russian navy, in charge of coastal and ground forces. Before he was promoted earlier this year, he had commanded the 155th Naval Infantry Brigade of the Pacific Fleet, a group of marines who were heavily involved in the early weeks of the invasion of Ukraine and, more recently, in the battle for control of the Kursk region in Russia.

Ukrainian officials, who have previously claimed responsibility for several targeted assassinations of Russian commanders, did not immediately comment on reports of the general’s death. Ukraine has accused the 155th brigade of killing civilians in the suburbs of Kyiv, Ukraine.

The Russian Defense Ministry gave few details, saying only that Gudkov had been killed Wednesday “during combat operations” in the Kursk region.

— The New York Times