Russian pilot reveals details of daring defection to Ukraine in military helicopter
- Russian pilot who defected in Mi-8 helicopter appears in video published by Ukraine defence intelligence
- Helicopter’s crew – unaware of the pilot’s plans to defect – were killed on arrival after refusing to surrender
Ukraine has named a Russian helicopter pilot that it said defected last month over his opposition to Moscow’s invasion after flying across the border in a “long-term special operation” led by Kyiv.
Kyiv’s Main Intelligence Directorate – the intelligence wing of Ukraine’s defence ministry – identified the pilot as 28-year-old Maxim Kuzminov, who served in the “319th separate helicopter regiment” based in Russia’s Far Eastern Primorye region.
In a statement on Monday, it described how it led the operation in “maximum secrecy”, by first recruiting the pilot after identifying that he was against the Kremlin’s invasion.
It said it helped the pilot fly into Ukraine and that two of the Mi-8 helicopter’s crew – unaware of Kuzminov’s plans to go to Ukraine and defect – were killed on arrival after refusing to surrender.
