In the documentary “Downed Russian Pilots” that the Ukrainian intelligence service published on Sunday, 28-year-old Russian pilot Maxim Kuzminov reveals details about how he planned his defection from the military.
– I contacted representatives of the Ukrainian intelligence service and explained my situation. They offered me this option: “Come on, we guarantee your safety, guarantee new documents, and reward,” says the pilot in the interview.
After six months of negotiations with Ukrainian military intelligence, Kuzminov began planning the flight to Ukraine. Finally, he took the opportunity when he was near the Ukrainian border and shared the information about his whereabouts with the intelligence services.
– I said let’s try, I’m not far away. And after making a final decision, I flew at extremely low altitude in radio silence. No one understood what was going on. I flew over and landed, they met me and explained everything to me, says the pilot.
Calling for defection
The pilot now strongly distances himself from the war and also calls on other Russian soldiers to follow his example and drop out.
– What is going on now is simply a genocide of the Ukrainian people. But also against Russians. What motivated me to drop out was not to contribute to these crimes, he says.
It was Sunday 23 August this year that the pilot flew over the border to Ukraine. The two other crew members on board did not know where the helicopter was headed, and were killed when they tried to escape after realizing what was happening, according to the head of Ukraine’s defense intelligence service, Kyrylo Budanov.
The pilot’s family has also been evacuated from Russia and is safe in Ukraine with Kuzminov, reports say Kyiv Independent.