HUR Identifies Russian Aircrew and Aircraft Involved in Kinzhal Attacks on Ukraine

The Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense (HUR) said on May 11 that it has identified the Russian unit and its base location along with the aircrews and aircraft used to launch the Kh-47M2 Kinzhal (Dagger) high speed missiles (NATO: AS-24 Killjoy) against Ukraine.

According to the information posted on Telegram, the unit responsible is the 44th separate special purpose aviation regiment, formed on Dec. 1, 2021. The Russian aerospace unit is based at the Savasleika airfield located about 1,000 kilometers northeast of Kyiv in the Nizhny Novgorod region.

HUR says the regiment holds up to 24 Mikoyan MiG-31K (NATO: Foxhound) long-range fighter-interceptor aircraft organized on a two-squadron basis. Russia claims the MiG-31 is currently the world's fastest operational combat aircraft.

The intelligence report has listed the registration numbers of 11 MiG 31-K aircraft which it has positively identified as having been involved in attacks using the Kinzhal against Ukraine since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion. These are: RF-20862, RF-03230, RF-20882, RF-03231, RF-03234, RF-19275, RF-94268, RF-42251, RF-42253, RF-20867, RF-20883.

In addition, the HUR has identified 29 command, flight and technical personnel who have participated in missions against Kyiv. Among them are the regimental commander, 46-year-old Colonel Denys Raufovych Akhmadeyev, along with seven other members of the regiment's technical staff. The full list,along with photographs where available, contains details such as dates of birth, military history and marital status.

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The Kh-47M2 Kinzhal is a Russian ballistic missile adapted from the Iskander system to be air-launched from a variety of carrier aircraft including Tu-22M3 bombers and Su-34 fighter-bombers as well as the MiG-31K. It is claimed by Russia to be a hypersonic missile with a 500-kilogramwarhead and a range of up to 2,000 kilometers. While these figures are questionable, it is undoubtedly a high-speed missile that can be launched from a long enough distance to make it a challenge to current Ukrainian air defense systems.