Colonels from 155th Marine Brigade Awarded Hero of Russia Posthumously

The title Hero of Russia has been awarded to the commander and deputy commander of the 155th Guards Marine Brigade of the Pacific Fleet, Colonels Sergey Ilyin and Leonid Bashkardin. They died in July of last year while liberating the Kursk region, according to the Telegram channel «Kozhemyako | officially».

The «Gold Star» medals have been presented to the families of the fallen heroes.

‘These combat commanders made a huge contribution to the successes of our legendary brigade, participating in the special military operation from the first days. They fulfilled their military duty to the end,’ according to the government statement.

The 55th Marine Division of the Pacific Fleet was established on December 1, 1968, and existed until December 1, 2009. It included the 106th, 165th, and 390th Marine Regiments, as well as the 150th Tank, 921st Artillery, and 923rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiments. Additionally, it had combat and logistics support battalions. By the 1990s, the division«s strength had reduced to 5,000 personnel. In 1997, the 84th Separate Tank Battalion was disbanded, and by 2005, the total number of servicemen had decreased to 3,100. In 2009, the division was abolished, and on the basis of the 165th Marine Regiment, the 155th Marine Brigade was formed.

In August 2025, Colonels Sergey Ilyin and Leonid Bashkardin were awarded the title Hero of Primorye for courage and selfless service to the Fatherland. Sergey Ilyin was born in 1985 in the village of Musirmy in the Urmarsky Municipal District, graduated from the Kazan Tank School, and then went to serve in Vladivostok. In 2022, he graduated from the Moscow Military Academy of the General Staff and then went to the special military operation zone as commander of an airborne assault battalion. For courage, heroism, and skillful command, he was awarded numerous honors. He was posthumously recommended for the awards «Hero of Primorye» and «Hero of the Russian Federation».

In early May, the authorities of Primorye reported the death of General Major Mikhail Gudkov in the Kursk region while performing a combat mission. In April 2025, he was appointed deputy commander-in-chief of the Navy. For courage and heroism, he was posthumously awarded a second «Gold Star» medal. The 155th Separate Marine Brigade of the Pacific Fleet, which he commanded from the beginning of the special military operation, has been named in his honor. The farewell ceremony took place at the Federal Military Memorial «Pantheon of Defenders of the Fatherland» in the Moscow region. To see the officer off on his final journey came Defense Minister Andrey Belousov, representatives of departments, military personnel, veterans, and relatives and friends of Mikhail Gudkov. His story was told in an article.