Dmitry Golenkov served as chief of staff of an aviation squadron, and was found dead with head injuries likely “caused by hammer,” per HUR.

The Russian officer reportedly served as the chief of staff of an aviation squadron in the 52nd Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment of the Russian Aerospace Forces (military unit 33310), based at Shaykovka airfield in Russia’s Kaluga Oblast, and equipped with Tu-22M3 strategic bombers.

Russia employs its Tu-22 and Tu-95 strategic bombers for large-scale missile strikes deep within Ukrainian territory, targeting civilian infrastructure such as energy facilities, residential areas, and occasionally military sites.

The HUR stated that Golenkov was involved in the missile strike on the Amstor shopping mall in Kremenchuk, Poltava Oblast, on 27 June 2022. This attack resulted in the deaths of 22 people, with approximately 1,000 civilians present in the mall at the time of the strike.

The intelligence service also implicated Golenkov in the missile attack on a residential building in Dnipro City on 14 January 2023, which claimed the lives of 46 Ukrainian civilians, including six children.