To divide
A Russian helicopter flies over the Epiphany Church of St. Nicholas Monastery in Arzamas, 100 kilometers south of Nizhny Novgorod (symbolic image). © IMAGO/Sergei Bobylev/ITAR-TASS
The fugitive helicopter pilot appears to be encouraging other Russian soldiers to defect: the number of calls to Kiev’s desertion hotline is increasing.
Kiev – Russian helicopter pilot Maksim Kuzminov managed to escape to Ukraine. The Russian soldier had long planned his defection together with the Ukrainian military intelligence service. For the delivery of the MI-8 helicopter to the Ukrainian army, Kuzminov received security guarantees – and a reward of half a million US dollars (about 463 thousand euros). This success story now appears to be finding imitators in the war in Ukraine.
Secret Service: More Russian soldiers want to defect in Ukraine war
Soldiers in war face death, injury or traumatic experiences at any time – no matter which side they fight on. But according to numerous reports, Russia is particularly cruel to its military personnel. At the start of the invasion, Russian soldiers apparently didn’t even realize they were going to war – the operation was initially reported as an exercise. Moscow also sent many of its fighters to the front without sufficient training or weapons. According to reports, there is psychological pressure, violence and even murder within its own ranks. Recently, the suicide rate among Russian generals has increased enormously, Ukrainian sources said.
The defection of Russian helicopter pilot Maksim Kuzminov, who no longer has to fight for Russia, is apparently sparking copycats. “After the successful operation Synytsia (German: Titmouse) with the Mi-8 and the pilot,” the number of Russian military personnel considering desertion has increased, said Andrii Yusov, representative of the Ukrainian Defense Intelligence Service, in Monday (September 11) in conversation with Radio Svoboda Liberty. The Ukrainian Defense Intelligence Service created a hotline called “I want to live” through which Russian soldiers could surrender. The number of calls per day has soared by 70% since Kuzminov’s escape, Yusow continued.
From left to right: Andrii Yusov, representative of the Ukrainian Defense Intelligence Agency, journalist Artem Shevchenko and defected Russian Mi-8 helicopter pilot Maksim Kuzminov during a press conference on September 5. © IMAGO/Ukrinform/ABACA/ABACAPRESS
Fear of counteroffensive: defected helicopter pilot asks former comrades to flee
Last year, the BBC reported that Russian callers to the defection hotline were “some desperate, some frustrated because they don’t fully understand how the hotline works or whether it’s just a trap,” a government project official announced. The successful defection of the helicopter pilot now appears to have increased confidence in the veracity of the Ukrainian statements. After his successful escape, the pilot himself called on his former companions to desert. “If you do what I did, you won’t regret it. You will receive absolutely everything for the rest of your life,” says Kuzminow.
The exact numbers for “I want to live” are not available. “You are not alone – several thousand service members have already saved their lives by surrendering,” the hotline’s website says. There, Ukraine also shares concrete tips for Russian soldiers who “do not want to die in war like more than 200 thousand citizens of the Russian Federation”. surrender on the battlefield. Kiev guarantees refugees compliance with the Geneva Convention.