Major General Anton Grunis Killed

Telegram channels of Suvorov Military School graduates and military blogger Yury Kotenok reported Anton Grunis’s death, and Radio Svoboda retold these reports. According to these data, the major general took part in attacks on Chasiv Yar and commanded the offensive on Kostiantynivka in Donetsk Oblast.

As Russian media wrote, it was Grunis who, in early July, reported to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the complete capture of Kostiantynivka under the control of Russian troops. On July 3, the head of the Russian army’s General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, announced the “liberation” of Kostiantynivka.

At the same time, the press service of the Russian Ministry of Defense continued to report on fighting in Kostiantynivka, while the Armed Forces of Ukraine denied that the city had come under Russian control. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also denied this, suggesting to Putin “to meet in Kostiantynivka, if it is already under Russian control”.

Fighting for Kostiantynivka has been ongoing since October 2025 and continues to this day. According to maps from the Ukrainian project DeepState and the American Institute for the Study of War, most of the city is in the so-called gray zone.

Two weeks before his death, on August 27, Anton Grunis was nominated for Russia’s highest award — the title of Hero of Russia. As of September 2026, at least 15 Russian generals have died in the war in Ukraine, including those killed in assassinations, and Russia does not report its losses.

Sources

• Radio Svoboda