27th Mixed Aviation Division
Identity
This record matches the Russian 27th Mixed Aviation Division headquartered at Belbek Air Base near Sevastopol, Crimea. CNA assessed that the division was established in November 2014 to manage Russian air assets deployed to Crimea, and contemporaneous Interfax reporting said the headquarters would be at Belbek. ([cna.org](https://www.cna.org/reports/2021/08/Russian-Forces-in-the-Southern-Military-District.pdf))
Subordinate basing
The division is consistently described in open sources as a three-regiment formation: 37th Mixed Aviation Regiment at Gvardeyskoye, 38th Fighter Aviation Regiment at Belbek, and 39th Helicopter Regiment at Dzhankoi. CNA’s 2021 force-structure study and a June 2021 Ukrainian presentation circulated at the OSCE list the same basing relationships. ([cna.org](https://www.cna.org/reports/2021/08/Russian-Forces-in-the-Southern-Military-District.pdf))
Operational layout
The basing pattern distributes fighter, strike, and helicopter assets across western, central, and northern Crimea rather than concentrating them at one field. Russian state media in 2018 described the Dzhankoi-based 39th Helicopter Regiment as positioned in northern Crimea near the Perekop land approach, while Belbek hosted the fighter regiment and divisional headquarters. ([ria.ru](https://ria.ru/20180621/1523161086.html))
Infrastructure and support
Belbek functions as more than an administrative HQ node. In November 2018, Russian Defense Ministry reporting carried by Interfax said a new runway had been built there and the airfield could receive all aircraft types; CNA also assessed that divisional radar support was provided by the 3rd Radio-Technical Regiment west of Belbek, placing the HQ inside a broader air-defense/C2 cluster. ([interfax-russia.ru](https://www.interfax-russia.ru/military/news_eng/319496?utm_source=openai))
Exposure and confidence limits
Belbek has remained an active but vulnerable hub. Satellite images published by CNN from Maxar and BlackSky after the May 15, 2024 strike showed three destroyed aircraft and damaged buildings at the airbase, and Planet imagery published by The War Zone on December 20, 2024 showed roughly 10 hardened shelters under construction there. In the open sources reviewed, later reporting focuses on strikes and protective works rather than a stable updated order of battle, so the division’s current aircraft inventory is not publicly confirmed. ([amp.cnn.com](https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2024/05/17/europe/ukraine-satellite-images-crimea-belbek-jets-destroyed-intl-hnk))