Long-Range Aviation Command
Identification
This record matches the Moscow headquarters of Russia's Long-Range Aviation Command, military unit 44402. A Ministry of Defense order dated 28 September 2009 identifies military unit 44402 as the Directorate of Long-Range Aviation Command in Moscow, and later court material places unit 44402 at 18 Kholzunova Lane, Moscow. ([gkrfkod.ru](https://gkrfkod.ru/zakonodatelstvo/prikaz-ministra-oborony-rf-ot-28092009-n-1048/))
Mission
Russian Defense Ministry reporting summarized by TASS in December 2025 described Long-Range Aviation as an integral part of the Aerospace Forces and one component of Russia's strategic nuclear forces. The force set publicly attributed to it included Tu-160 and Tu-95MS strategic missile carriers, Tu-22M3 long-range bombers, MiG-31I aircraft, Il-78 tankers, and training/transport aircraft. Because unit 44402 is documented as the Moscow command directorate rather than an airfield, this site is best assessed as a headquarters and command-and-control node. ([tass.ru](https://tass.ru/armiya-i-opk/25991907?utm_source=openai))
Network
The 2009 MoD order shows w/ch 44402 controlling a geographically dispersed branch network. Listed subordinate sites included unit 45179 in Ryazan, unit 83069 at Smolensk-North, unit 23449 in the Mytishchi district, unit 06987 in Engels, unit 40444 in Shaykovka, unit 62266 in Ukrainka, and unit 40444A in Soltsy, among others. That corroborates several unit-number placemarks attached to this record; the order lists branch locations, but not detailed functions for each site. ([gkrfkod.ru](https://gkrfkod.ru/zakonodatelstvo/prikaz-ministra-oborony-rf-ot-28092009-n-1048/))
Refueling
Ryazan/Dyagilevo is a documented support node for the command. TASS reported in 2018 that the 203rd Guards Oryol Regiment at Dyagilevo was the only Long-Range Aviation formation equipped with Il-78 tankers, and the 2009 branch list places unit 45179 in Ryazan under w/ch 44402. Read together, those sources indicate a Ryazan-based aerial-refueling element within the command's support architecture. ([tass.ru](https://tass.ru/armiya-i-opk/5448916/amp?utm_source=openai))
Leadership
The metadata's commander field appears outdated. TASS reported on 24 July 2024 that Lt. Gen. Sergey Kobylash had been appointed Commander of the Russian Air Force and Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Aerospace Forces, and that Maj. Gen. Sergey Kuvaldin took Kobylash's former post as commander of Long-Range Aviation. TASS still identified Kuvaldin as commander on 22 December 2024. ([tass.ru](https://tass.ru/politika/21444015?utm_source=openai))
Current activity
As of December 2025, Russian MoD reporting said Long-Range Aviation Command continued receiving modernized combat aircraft and that its personnel had taken part during 2025 in the special military operation, strategic command-and-control training under the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, and other combat-training events. This supports assessment that the Moscow HQ remains an active wartime and modernization-management node. ([tass.ru](https://tass.ru/armiya-i-opk/25991907?utm_source=openai))