Russian military pilot reportedly defects to Ukraine with helicopter
Flight
was culmination of intelligence operation, Ukrainian military sources
tell newspaper, but Russian blogger claims pilot got lost
A Russian military helicopter has landed in Ukraine, reportedly after the pilot was convinced to defect in a six-month intelligence operation.
A
Russian military blogger said a helicopter had crossed the border with
three people on board “a couple of weeks ago”, but claimed the aircraft
had lost its way.
The
twin-engine Mi-8 AMTSh was on a flight between two airbases,
transporting parts for Su-27 and Su-30 fighter jets, Ukrainska Pravda
newspaper reported, citing defence intelligence sources.
The
pilot’s family had already been moved to Ukraine as part of the
defection operation and he would join them, it said. Both crew members
were killed, the Russian blogger and Ukrainian reports said.
A
spokesperson for Ukraine’s military intelligence appeared to confirm
that the aircraft had landed in Ukraine, but in line with government
reticence about intelligence operations, did not give any details.
“There will be official information. We need to
wait a little bit – we are working on it, including with the crew,” said
Andriy Yusov told state television.
The news about a possible pilot defection came days after a drone attack destroyed a supersonic Russian bomber on an airfield hundreds of kilometres from Ukraine.
Russia’s airforce has been among the most
destructive parts of its war machine, even though it has not been able
to take control of the skies over Ukraine.
Russian
jets and helicopters launch missiles and unguided bombs at civilian
targets, and the support they provide to frontline troops has made it
harder for Ukrainian forces mounting a counteroffensive to push through
Russian defences.
Since the start of the war, Ukraine has pressed
western allies to provide better air defences and aircraft to protect
the country. That campaign culminated in a pledge of dozens of F-16 fighter jets from Denmark and the Netherlands earlier this week.
The
planes will be handed over in tranches after pilot training has been
satisfactorily completed, but because the new crews have to improve
their English before learning to fly and maintain the jets, that will
not happen until well into next year.
Ukraine’s
small air force is currently made up of Soviet-standard planes that can
run only a dozen or so low-risk combat missions a day because they are
outnumbered by their Russian equivalents.
Although
Moscow uses its own jets relatively conservatively in frontline areas,
the size of its air force means it poses a far greater threat.
In
the context of Russia’s large fleet, the defection of a highly trained
pilot – after a successful Ukrainian intelligence mission – would be a
more significant military blow than the loss of a single helicopter
through crew error.
The cross-border flight
was presented as an accident by Russian blogger Fighterbomber, who runs a
Telegram channel with close links to Russia’s air force.
“The crew, for some reason, lost their bearings
and crossed the border,” he said, confirming that the image circulating
in Ukrainian media was that of the missing Mi-8.
“Realising
where they landed, they made an attempt to take off, but were shot
while the helicopter was on the ground. Presumably, two board members
died and the commander was taken hostage.”
In a
follow-up post, he dismissed claims the pilot’s family was in Ukraine,
claiming to be in contact with relatives of all crew members.
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