The Russian pilot who defected to Ukraine with a Mi-8 helicopter is now providing key aviation intelligence to Ukraine, defense agency says
The Russian pilot who defected to Ukraine with a Mi-8 helicopter is now providing key aviation intelligence to Ukraine, defense agency says
Maksym Kuzminov, the pilot who switched sides in a daring defection, is now providing the Ukrainian military with key Russian aviation intelligence.
What a fucking badass.
Certified badass.
After months of planning, which included the removal of Kuzminov's parents from Russia to Ukraine, he finally made his move in August, flying the helicopter at a low altitude in radio silence mode across the border and into Ukrainian territory.
Was happy to read about his family getting out first. Always worry about that with russia, china, and north korea.
They better put a good fucking security detail on this guy
I was thinking this, why in the hell would they put this guy on broadcast everywhere on the news?
Stating the obvious, propaganda. I just hope he's OK with it and is kept safe in the process.
It's so that they show they haven't just pulled a name off a dead Russian body and fabricated an informant.
Bloody legend. We actually found one: a good Russian.
Now if only the rest of his idiot former comrades would smarten up and do the same.
edit: i want to note that this sentiment is not an ok one to sincerely hold. being russian doesn't make anyone evil. they are indeed human beings who largely didn't want any part in this shitshow and were coerced into doing it by corrupt, greedy, incompetent leadership.
intelligence and bravery are traits that any person can possess no matter where they come from, and goodness knows that if the united states rounded up all of my dearest friends and then ordered me to pilot a helicopter and invade mexico, i myself would have been too chickenshit to defect under the full knowledge that my mother's few remaining years of life would be pure agony and suffering in a gulag, and that everyone else i've ever loved will die screaming at the hands of the united states federal government.
I mean, many of the Russians who are fighting do not want to fight, they are being forced to against their will.
The situation with Russia and Ukraine is a bit similar to the one with Japan and China in WWII, except Putin is instigating the war and many of the military do not want to fight.
The other good ones are regularly storming Белгород and killing frontier soldiers
We actually found one: a good Russian.
We didn't though, he's Ukrainian now
(☞ﾟヮﾟ)☞
Kuzminov and his family are currently safe in Ukraine. The pilot was rewarded with $500,000 for defecting with his helicopter after the Ukrainian government last year implemented a program that incentivizes Russian military members to defect with their equipment in exchange for hefty monetary rewards.
Nice mean to get cheap equipment
Putting him on TV is a bad fucking idea. That must discourage a lot of Russian soldiers thinking about doing the same.
Could be that Russia's response to this information might cause themselves more harm than it will affect future defectors, even if it prevents as many from doing so. There's also the question about how safe it is to accept Russian defectors since any of them could be double agents, so maybe Ukraine isn't that worried about cutting them off.
Or maybe they want to flush out Russian assassins be offering a tantalizing political target instead of them going after more strategic ones.
Could be that Russia’s response to this information might cause themselves more harm than it will affect future defectors
Yeah, that occurred to me as well. Provoke an atmosphere of suspicion, don't trust each other, even perhaps encourage cases of friendly fire.
It's possible that the amount of defectors isn't actually close to being important and the few real cases are more useful as psyops.
Honestly good Job! You will be remembered for being on the right Side of history!