(MOSCOW AND OCCUPIED CRIMEA) – Russia has carried out a series of organisational changes in its military aviation following the division of the former Western Military District into the Moscow and Leningrad Military Districts and the removal of the Northern Fleet’s status as a military district. As a result, air force and air defence armies are no longer directly subordinate to military districts, even though they remain physically based within them.
Despite the creation of two separate military districts in western Russia, there is currently only one Guards Air and Air Defence Forces Army in the area. The 6th Guards Air and Air Defence Forces Army remains headquartered in Pushkin, near Saint Petersburg, and continues to cover both districts for the time being.
Most of the 6th Army’s fixed wing aviation remains grouped under the 105th Mixed Air Division based in Voronezh. This division includes four long established aviation regiments operating a mix of fighter and bomber aircraft. These are the 14th Fighter Aviation Regiment in Kursk Khalino equipped with Su 30SM fighters, the 47th Bomber Aviation Regiment at Voronezh Baltimore flying Su 34 bombers, the 159th Fighter Aviation Regiment in Petrozavodsk Besovets operating Su 35S aircraft, and the 790th Fighter Aviation Regiment at Khotilovo in Tver region equipped with Su 35S and MiG 31BM interceptors.
In addition to these units, the 6th Army has absorbed two aviation elements previously subordinated to the Russian Navy. One is the 689th Fighter Aviation Regiment from the Baltic Fleet’s 34th Mixed Aviation Division, based at Chkalovsk in the Kaliningrad region, a territory separated from mainland Russia. This regiment operates Su 27 fighters and is expected to receive Su 30SM2 aircraft, although these have not yet entered service with the unit. Its precise status within the 6th Army remains unclear, as it may either function independently or be incorporated into the 105th Division.
The second naval element is a MiG 31BM squadron from the Northern Fleet’s 98th Separate Mixed Aviation Regiment in Monchegorsk. This squadron is believed to have been subordinated to the 790th Fighter Aviation Regiment, while remaining stationed at its original base in the far north.
The army aviation component of the 6th Guards Army has not changed as a result of the reforms. It continues to include the 15th Army Aviation Brigade at Ostrov Veretie, the 332nd Separate Helicopter Regiment in Pushkin, and the 440th Separate Helicopter Regiment in Vyazma. These units operate a range of transport and attack helicopters, including Mi 8, Mi 26, Mi 24, Mi 28N, Mi 35M and Ka 52 types.
Further south, the 4th Guards Air and Air Defence Forces Army continues to cover the area corresponding to the former Southern Military District. Its structure includes three mixed aviation divisions, one of which is based in the territory of Crimea, which remains under Russian occupation.
The 1st Mixed Aviation Division, headquartered in Krymsk in Krasnodar Territory, consists of three regiments. These include the 3rd Mixed Aviation Regiment in Krymsk flying Su 27 and Su 30M2 aircraft, the 31st Fighter Aviation Regiment in Millerovo operating Su 30SM fighters, and the 559th Bomber Aviation Regiment in Morozovsk equipped with Su 34 bombers.
The 4th Mixed Aviation Division, based in Marinovka in the Volgograd region, is composed entirely of strike aviation units. It includes the 11th Mixed Aviation Regiment in Marinovka operating Su 24M, Su 24MR and Su 34 aircraft, the 368th Assault Aviation Regiment in Budyonnovsk flying Su 25 ground attack aircraft, and the 960th Assault Aviation Regiment in Primorsko Akhtarsk, also equipped with Su 25s. The 368th Regiment was transferred to this division from the 1st Mixed Aviation Division.
In occupied Crimea, the 27th Mixed Aviation Division is based at Sevastopol Lyubimovka. It consists of the 37th Mixed Aviation Regiment at Gvardeyskoye, which operates Su 24M, Su 24MR and Su 25 aircraft, and the 38th Fighter Aviation Regiment at Belbek flying Su 27 and Su 30M2 fighters.
Army aviation units supporting the 4th Guards Army include the 16th Army Aviation Brigade in Zernograd, the 39th Separate Helicopter Regiment in Dzhankoy in Crimea, the 55th Separate Helicopter Regiment in Korenovsk, and the 487th Separate Helicopter Regiment in Budyonnovsk. These units operate a similar mix of transport and attack helicopters to those in the northern formations. The 39th Regiment was previously part of the 27th Division but has since been redesignated as a separate unit.
In the far north, the 45th Guards Air and Air Defence Forces Army, which had been subordinated to the Northern Fleet, has been disbanded. In its place, Russia has formed the 7th Aviation Corps, headquartered at Severomorsk Safonovo. This corps commands five separate aviation regiments, including the 98th Mixed Aviation Regiment in Monchegorsk, the 100th and 279th Naval Fighter Aviation Regiments at Severomorsk 3, the 403rd Mixed Aviation Regiment at Severomorsk 1 with long range patrol aircraft deployed at Kipelovo, and the 830th Naval Anti Submarine Helicopter Regiment.
The aviation assets of the Baltic Fleet have been consolidated under the 34th Mixed Aviation Division in Kaliningrad. Following the transfer of the 689th Regiment, the division now includes the 4th Naval Assault Aviation Regiment in Chernyakhovsk and the 396th Mixed Helicopter Aviation Regiment in Donskoye.
The Black Sea Fleet remains without a divisional or corps level aviation command. Its two aviation regiments operate as separate units under the fleet’s aviation department and are both stationed in occupied Crimea. These are the 43rd Naval Assault Aviation Regiment at Saki Novofedorivka and the 318th Mixed Aviation Regiment at Kacha, operating a combination of fixed wing aircraft and helicopters.
Several conclusions emerge from this structure. Russian plans developed before the full scale invasion of Ukraine envisaged one army aviation brigade per military district and one separate helicopter regiment for each combined arms or tank army. While district level brigades were established, the number of helicopter regiments has remained below the number of ground armies, and no new helicopter regiments have been formed since 2022 despite the creation of additional armies.
Modernisation of aircraft fleets also remains incomplete. The replacement of Su 24M aircraft with Su 34 bombers in the air force and Su 30SM2 fighters in naval aviation has not been finalised. Four regiments still operate older Su 24 variants, three of them within the navy, and the slow pace of Su 30SM2 production makes rapid replacement unlikely.
The transition away from Su 27 fighters is similarly unfinished. The 689th Fighter Aviation Regiment in Kaliningrad, positioned close to NATO territory, continues to operate older aircraft. A full re equipment with newer Su 35S fighters would likely be highly visible, but this has not occurred.
Finally, recent deliveries of Su 34 and Su 35S aircraft appear to be used not only to offset combat losses sustained in the war against Ukraine, but also to replace aircraft withdrawn for overhaul after intensive use. Together, these factors underline the limits of Russia’s ability to expand and modernise its military aviation while sustaining prolonged high intensity operations.