Maxim Kuzminov: “Ukraine offered me a deal, promising security, new documents and rewards”
A Russian helicopter pilot who fled to Ukraine, In his first interview, he said he switched sides to oppose «genocide.»
Speaking on TV Sunday night, Maxim Kuzminov said he was «sorry about what's going on.» is happening right now: killings, tears and blood.”
A 28-year-old man flew a Russian Mi-8 helicopter across the front line in Kharkiv as part of an operation coordinated with the Ukrainian military intelligence (GUR).
On Monday, the GUR published a video claiming that the pilot landed in Ukraine on August 9 with «valuable documents» and «secret technical equipment.»
Mr. Kuzminov was wearing a black T-shirt with a picture of a Ukrainian trident. interview and said that it was his idea to defect.
«I contacted Ukrainian military intelligence and explained my situation to them,» he said.
«They offered me a deal, promising me security, new documents, and a reward.”
Kirill Budanov, head of Ukrainian intelligence, previously said the pilot's family was evacuated from Russia before the operation, while other crew members were killed while trying to escape after landing in Ukraine.
Mr. Kuzminov did not provide details about this. his role over the past 18 months, stating only that he feels regret because «what is happening is nothing but the genocide of the Ukrainian people.»
Dramatic transition during the mission
GUR identified Kuzminov as a pilot of the 319th Helicopter Regiment of the Russian Air Force, based in the Russian Far East near China. The operation reportedly took about six months to plan.
The dramatic border crossing occurred during the mission when Kuzminov was flying close to the border with northeastern Ukraine. He contacted his handlers and suggested that now was the right moment to escape.
«I said, 'Let's try it.' I'm very close,” he said.
“I was flying at the lowest possible altitude with radio silence. No one really knew where I was.”
He said it probably took several days for his commanders to realize he had defected.
The Russian Ministry of Defense did not comment on the situation, but the military-linked Telegram channel previously claimed that the pilot landed in Ukraine by mistake.
>The rest did not give up
Ukrainian intelligence showed footage of the helicopter landing in a field, but two Ukrainian commandos ran up to him and rushed inside.
In a separate statement, the GUR confirmed that the other two Russian crew members had no idea about the nature of their mission and that they “decided not to surrender and died immediately after landing «.
Mr. Kuzminov did not comment on the situation. their deaths.
The GUR, which has previously called on Russian troops to surrender or desert, published the interview with Mr. Kuzminov on Sunday as part of an hour-long documentary about its recent covert operations.
Echoing the GUR's suggestion , Mr. Kuzminov urged other Russian pilots to follow suit.
He said Kiev would take care of them and they would “never regret it.”
According to Russian media , the social media accounts of Mr. Kuzminov and his friends suggest that he is indeed a military pilot.
In an interview with the Russian website Agency, Alexander Nikolaev, a classmate of Mr. Kuzminov from the flight school, confirmed that that he recognized him in the GUR video.
Several photographs posted on the Internet showed the two men together. The agency also found out that Kuzminov was a registered taxpayer at a pilot school in Syzran between 2016 and 2019.
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