Overview

• Colonel Dmitry Golenkov, a senior Russian pilot, was found dead in the village of Suponevo, Russia, with head injuries attributed to a hammer attack.
• Golenkov was involved in a missile strike on the Amstor shopping mall in Kremenchuk, Ukraine, in June 2022, which killed 22 people and injured dozens more.
• Ukrainian military intelligence has hinted at involvement in Golenkov's death, labeling it as 'just retribution' for war crimes committed against civilians.
• Golenkov also played a role in a January 2023 missile attack on a residential building in Dnipro, Ukraine, resulting in 46 civilian deaths.
• The Ukrainian Defense Ministry has not officially claimed responsibility, but past operations suggest a pattern of targeting Russian military figures behind enemy lines.