Maksim Kuzminov, the 28-year-old Russian pilot of the Mi-8 helicopter who surrendered to Ukraine after landing in a Ukrainian airfield on Aug. 23, called on other Russian pilots to follow his example.
Maksim Kuzminov, the 28-year-old Russian pilot of the Mi-8 helicopter who surrendered to Ukraine after landing in a Ukrainian airfield on Aug. 23, called on other Russian pilots to follow his example.
According to him, he contacted the HUR - presumably via a secret chat on Telegram - and they planned for half a year. The helicopter was shot at when crossing the border, but he believes it likely came from the Russian side. Also worth noting that he didn’t land in an airfield. The helicopter was moved to an airfield in Kyiv after the fact.