In 1935 he graduated from the Orenburg Higher Military Aviation School for Pilots and became navigator of bomber regiments in Siberia and the Far East.

On 27 August 1941 during defensive operations, his Tupolev SB was shot down by enemy fighter aircraft but he managed to bail out with a parachute.

In early 1942, Kiria began retraining to become a fighter pilot himself and graduated in May 1943 from the then Lipetsk Advanced Training Courses for Air Force Command Personnel.

From May to December of the same year, he served in leadership roles of the 151st Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment and fought on three separate fronts, as well as in a number of major battles that include Kursk, Dnieper, Budapest and Vienna.

In March 1958 he took command over the 145th Fighter Aviation Division and from 1961 onwards, Major general Kiria served in reserve capacity.