Ukraine’s military intelligence services released a striking interview on Monday with a man identified as a defecting Russian helicopter pilot. Ukraine claims he defected to the Ukrainian camp last month after a months-long covert operation that also brought the Russian’s family to safety in Ukraine. The pilot is now fighting alongside the Ukrainians with his MI-8 combat helicopter.
Kiev said the helicopter pilot, identified as Maksim Kuzminov, 28, is currently in Ukraine. According to military intelligence, the man served in the 319th helicopter regiment of the Russian Air Force, headquartered in Primorsky, in the Russian Far East. The Russian pilot requested and received safety guarantees. His family is said to have been transferred to Ukraine “in complete safety”.
Extremely low
The spillover action was prepared for several months. Everything finally came together when the Russian flew his attack helicopter near the border one day, according to a press release.
“Then he saw his chance and hijacked his aircraft by flying at extremely low altitude and in radio silence mode to the specified location for the surrender of his helicopter to the Ukrainian soldiers,” the Ukrainian ministry writes, without specifying the date of the action. . It would have happened sometime last month. “Two other crew members who were not aware of his intentions and did not want to surrender were killed shortly after landing,” it still sounds.
“Murder, Tears, Blood”
It is not clear under what circumstances the interview with Kuzminov actually took place, but it seems that the man is acquitted. “The truth is that there are no Nazis or fascists here,” the helicopter pilot refutes the Russian discourse. “It is a real shame what is happening here. Murder, tears, blood. People just kill each other. That’s all I can make of this. And I don’t want to be a part of it.”
“What is happening now is simply a genocide of the Ukrainian people,” he continues. “Both Ukrainians and Russians. The motivation for my action is not to participate in these war crimes.”
According to the pilot, it is certain that Ukraine will win the war, “because the people are so united”. “They were not like this before, but now they are very united. And the whole world is helping them, because above all human lives should be valued.”
In the interview, the twenty-something urges other Russians to also defect to Ukraine. “You will be taken care of for the rest of your life,” he says, among other things.
Rewards
Some media have pointed out that Ukraine has been trying to convince Russian soldiers to defect since the war started in February 2022. Ukraine’s parliament also passed a law last year targeting demoralized Russian troops and offering monetary rewards to Russian soldiers who defect with their equipment. According to that legislation, a helicopter brings in 500,000 dollars (463,000 euros). It is not immediately clear whether and to what extent Kuzminov would have been compensated.
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