A Russian pilot flying a Mil Mi-8 helicopter has defected to Kyiv, high-ranking sources in the Ukrainian military told Ukrainska Pravda this week.
The pilot is said to have been convinced to join Ukraine after a six-month operation by the Main Directorate of Intelligence, agreeing to deviate from his flight path and land at the Ukrainian-controlled Poltava Air Base.
Two other crew members on board the helicopter were reportedly killed. Meanwhile, the pilot safely defected and now gets to see his family, who already had snuck out of Russia.
The Mi-8 was also carrying spare parts for a Sukhoi Su-27 fighter jet.
The pro-Russian telegram channel Fighterbomber previously claimed that the helicopter landed at Poltava as a result of a navigational error.
"The crew, for some reason, lost their bearings and crossed the border," the blogger said at the time. "Realizing where they landed, they tried to take off but were shot while the helicopter was on the ground. Presumably, two board members died, and the commander was taken hostage."
After several retractions and changes to the story by Fighterbomber, Ukrainian intelligence spokesman Andriy Yusov later confirmed the pilot"s defection story on national television.
"There will be official information. We need to wait a little bit — we are working on it, including with the crew," Yusov said.
The Mi-8 now joins a legion of other ones inherited by Ukraine since the end of the Cold War, according to Forbes. And since Russia's invasion 19 months ago, Kyiv has obtained an additional 45 from the West.
Still, Ukraine has urged its allies to provide even better air defenses and aircraft. Earlier this week, The Guardian reported, Danish and Dutch officials pledged in principle to send over dozens of F-16 fighter jets.
Luca Cacciatore ✉
Luca Cacciatore, a Newsmax general assignment writer, is based in Arlington, Virginia, reporting on news and politics.
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