Colonel Dmitry Golenkov, a senior Russian air force commander involved in missile strikes on Ukrainian civilian targets, was found beaten to death with a hammer in Bryansk Oblast, Russia. While Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (HUR) did not explicitly claim responsibility, they referred to the killing as an act of “justice” for his role in attacks on Ukrainian civilians.
Golenkov’s body was discovered in an apple orchard near the village of Suponevo, Bryansk region on Sunday. He had multiple head wounds likely caused by a hammer. The HUR posted photos of his body but did not detail how the assassination was carried out.
Golenkov was a pilot in Russia’s 52nd Heavy Bomber Regiment, which operates out of Shaykovka airfield and uses Tu-22M3 bombers to conduct missile strikes on Ukraine. He was reportedly involved in two major attacks: the June 2022 missile strike on the Amstor shopping mall in Kremenchuk, which killed 22 people, and the January 2023 strike on a residential building in Dnipro that left 46 dead, including six children.
The Kremenchuk attack drew international outrage, as over 1,000 people were inside the mall when it was hit by Russian X-22 missiles. Russian officials initially claimed they were targeting a nearby weapons depot, but investigations, including by Bellingcat, found no evidence of a military target near the site. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the strike “one of the most brazen terrorist acts in European history.”
The HUR linked Golenkov to multiple war crimes and reiterated that “fair retribution” awaits all those responsible for atrocities against Ukrainian civilians. Golenkov’s death comes at a time when Ukraine is reporting significant losses among Russian forces, claiming over 24,000 Russian casualties in the last three weeks. Moscow has not officially commented on Golenkov’s death.
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