Moscow due to the critical situation developing along the Bialystok-Minsk-Smolensk axis, and the Southwestern Front, and newly formed Southern Front created on the basis of the Odessa Military District, were put under the umbrella of the "Southwestern Direction" commanded by Marshal Semyon Budyonny, a long time Stalin associate, in mid July, with disastrous results in the Battle of Uman. Afterwards, Kirponos' forces fought in the Battle of Kiev. He was killed in action by a landmine near Dryukivshchyna, southwest of Lokhvytsia while trying to breakout of the Kyiv encirclement, in which the Soviets ended up losing badly due to the significantly more advantageous position of the Germans, which was exacerbated by the lateness of the order to withdraw. After his death, he was buried in the ravine in which had been dug to cover the breakout. Nevertheless, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Kirponos remains highly regarded both in Ukraine and Russia for his exemplary military leadership, courage and valour. He became the highest ranked Soviet officer to die in direct combat. After the retaking of Kiev, he was reburied in Kiev, as his initial burial location was passed on by a group of infantry soldiers who successfully broke out while carrying his awards and documents. In December 2022 the (Mikhail) Kirponos street in Kyiv, Ukraine was renamed to Vsevolod Petriv street. Notes References Mikhail Kirponos at Warheroes.ru The truth about the death of General M. P. Kirponos, Voenno-istoricheskiĭ zhurnal, 1964. № 9, ISSN 0042-9058 Serhiy Dehtiarenko, "To the sixtieth anniversary of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, debts of our memoreis", Zerkalo Nedeli (The Mirror Weekly), June 16–22, 2001. in Russian, in Ukrainian. Afrikan Stenin, "The feat of arms and the tragedy of the front commander", Zerkalo Nedeli (The Mirror Weekly), June 16–22, 2001. in Russian, in Ukrainian 1892 births 1941 deaths People from Chernihiv Oblast People from Nezhinsky Uyezd Bolsheviks Soviet colonel generals Frunze Military Academy alumni Ukrainian people of World War I Russian military personnel of World War I Soviet military personnel of the Russian Civil War Soviet military personnel of the Winter War Soviet military personnel of World War II from Ukraine Heroes of the Soviet Union Recipients of the Order of Lenin Soviet military personnel killed in World War II Deaths by explosive device