Vladivostok: Sergei Efremov, vice governor of Russia’s Primorye Territory and former commander of the Tiger volunteer unit, was killed while returning from a combat mission, regional governor Oleg Kozhemyako said Sunday.
“It is a day of great sorrow for us … He was an outstanding person with a kind heart, a strong-willed leader and an organiser,” Kozhemyako said in a video message on his Telegram channel.
Efremov has led the Tiger volunteer unit since its establishment in 2022. In 2024, he was appointed vice governor of Primorye, overseeing the regional’s domestic policy. He returned to the front lines following Ukraine’s offensive in the Kursk region.
He is the highest-ranking Russian official to have been killed in the Russia-Ukraine conflict
