Russian helicopter pilot defects to Ukraine. He now tells of the dramatic escape and that the Ukrainians paid him five million crowns for the helicopter. In Russia he is referred to as a “traitor”.
Maxim Kuzminov, 28, spoke about the drama at a news conference in Kyiv on Tuesday, the reports said. Ukraineskaya Pravda.
The Russians’ story also represents a propaganda victory for Ukraine – something that the Ukrainian authorities are now exploiting as hard as they can, with press conferences, their own videos, and photos of the event.
The military helicopter had a crew of three, and the other two, a navigator and a technician, were not informed of the escape plans. None of them had weapons.
– You are the only one who can fly the helicopter. She reassures the other two that everything will be fine. But they got scared, acted aggressively, and got out of the helicopter towards the Russian border after we landed.
– Their further fate is unknown to me, but based on what I see in the media, it is possible that they will be eliminated, Kuzminov said at the press conference.
He also says that the helicopter came under fire when it crossed the border:
– I can’t say for sure who shot, but I think it came from the Russian side. I was hit in the leg by a bullet. Then I flew about 20 km and landed.
According to Kuzminov, he did not actually hijack the helicopter. It was an agreed flight from Kursk Province in Russia to Kharkiv Province in Ukraine.
On the Russian side, it flew too low and interrupted radio communication.
The SBU reported that Kuzminov’s defection occurred in the first half of August. The case became known on August 23. He used a Russian Mi-8 military helicopter.
It was initially reported that the helicopter had veered off course and had to land. It later emerged that Kuzminov wanted to withdraw.
He claims that he only participated in transporting soldiers or equipment, and did not participate in the bombing. Kuzminov was in Mariupol and Brygansk, among other places. He reportedly had “tears in his eyes” from what he saw.
Now Maxim Kuzminov is thinking of becoming part of the Ukrainian defense.
It was agreed to leave. He first received information from the Ukrainian police about the possibility of surrender, and then the GUR military intelligence came into the picture.
– They guaranteed my safety and that of my family and promised me that I would get a new identity and money to start a new life, says Maxim Kuzminov.
– We spent half a year planning it. It was my own decision. Nobody pushed me. “I didn’t want to take part in a war crime,” he says.
Ukroboronprom — the Ukrainian defense industry — promised early in the war $1 million for military aircraft and half a million dollars for military helicopters — to Russian pilots who chose to defect. Now Kuzminov can reap that profit, which is the equivalent of around NOK 5 million.
The issue has been somewhat discussed in the Russian media.
– Maxim Kuzmenov, who cruelly betrayed his country, admits that he left the rest of the crew to their fate, he writes Tsargrad TV.
Well-known war journalist Alexander Coats claims that Kuzminov is lying about shooting the helicopter and that he was shot in the leg.
For his part, Kuzminov encourages other Russian pilots to do the same:
– You will not regret! declares.
It is not clear what security measures have been taken around Kuzminov.
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