Lieutenant General of the Russian Army Esedulla Abachev, born in Daghestan and deputy commander of the ‘Sever’ (North) military grouping, has been seriously wounded as a result of a Ukrainian strike on a Russian convoy on the Rylsk–Khomutovka highway in Russia’s Kursk region.
The incident was first reported by Ukraine’s military intelligence on Monday night. According to their information, Abachev was travelling in the convoy when it came under fire. Ukraine claims that Abachev’s arm and leg were amputated following the attack and that he was evacuated to Moscow’s Vishnevsky Central Clinical Hospital.
Russian authorities later partially confirmed the incident. The Head of Daghestan, Sergei Melikov, wrote on his Telegram channel that Abachev was in one of the country’s best military medical centres and that his condition was assessed as serious but stable. However, Melikov did not provide details about the nature of the injuries, including the reported amputations.
‘On my instructions, the head of [the city] Daghestanskiye Ogni (Daghestani Fires), Zamir Gadzhimuradov, who served for many years under Esedulla Abdulmuminovich, went to visit him. He spoke with the doctors, who described the general’s condition as serious but stable. I intend to visit him personally soon. Until his full recovery, we are ready to take any measures to support Abachev and his family in these difficult days. Without doubt, General Esedulla Abachev is the pride of the entire Daghestani people,’ Melikov said.
Pro-military propagandists reported in their Telegram channels that Russia had ‘lost another general’. For example, the Telegram channel Northern Wind, without naming names, stated that ‘the general is alive, but in serious condition: traumatic amputation of an arm and part of a leg’.
‘We are waiting for details. We hope that officials will not try to hide this information[...]The victim is being provided with all necessary medical care’, the Northern Wind Telegram channel wrote.
Later the message was deleted.
Abachev was born on 13 June 1968 in the village of Zildik, Daghestan. In 1989, he graduated from the Kharkiv Guards Higher Tank Command School, and later studied at the Combined Arms Academy. He served in various Russian military districts and took part in the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the Second Russian–Chechen war, the August 2008 War, and in Syria.
From the first days of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, he headed the 2nd Army Corps of the so-called Luhansk People’s Militia and commanded Russian forces during the offensive in Ukraine’s Luhansk region. In July 2022, President Vladimir Putin awarded him the title Hero of Russia for his role in the capture of Luhansk region.
In September of the same year, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) accused the general of violating Ukraine’s territorial integrity, as well as planning and waging an aggressive war against Ukraine.
In February 2023, Abachev was promoted to lieutenant general and appointed deputy commander of the ‘Sever’ grouping.
The strike in which Abachev was seriously wounded took place in Kursk region, which has been under regular Ukrainian attacks since August 2024. Kyiv has stated that its goal is to push Russian troops out of border areas and to hit logistics and command posts. The Russian side in turn has insisted it is repelling attacks, but since early August, reports of new losses have been appearing regularly.
Abachev’s injury is one of the most serious among Russian generals since the start of the war. Ukrainian authorities have repeatedly announced the deaths or injuries of Russian generals, though the Kremlin has only confirmed some of these cases.
Elizaveta Chukharova
