The defected Russian pilot invites other Moscow soldiers to join him in Ukraine: “Come here, you will find a colorful world”
A Russian helicopter pilot who defected to Ukraine has revealed details of the daring operation in which he crossed the border in his Mi8 attack helicopter in an interview published by Ukrainian Defense Intelligence. The pilot was called by Ukrainian officials Maxim KuzminovHe explained how he did it and why he felt compelled to do it. “I contacted representatives of Ukrainian intelligence who offered security, new documents and financial compensation.” During the flight, the pilot said: “I realized that I was close to the border. I communicated my position. I said, “Let’s try it, I’m not that far away.” And after making the final decision, I flew at an extremely low altitude in radio silence mode. Absolutely no one understood what happened to me. The pilot said he managed to land in Ukraine, where he was greeted by Ukrainian officials: “The truth is that there are no Nazis or fascists here.” It’s really a shame what’s happening here. Murder, tears, blood. People just kill each other. I don’t want to be part of it,” he said. “What is happening now is simply the genocide of the Ukrainian people. Both Ukrainian and Russian. The motivation for my actions was not to contribute to these crimes.” And he called on other Russians in the army to defect. “You will be taken care of for the rest of your life. You will be offered a job anywhere no matter what you do. You will simply discover a world full of colors.
