FLY FROM THIS WAR, PUTIN PILOT TELLS AIRFORCE

Russian defector sells helicopter and lands a new life for family

Maksim Kuzminov, aged 28, is a Russian Mi-8 helicopter pilot.

He could also be the first propaganda hero of this awful Ukraine war.

But to Putin and his twisted cohorts Kuzminov is a coward, a thief, a deserter – and a target.

He surrendered to Ukraine by landing in a Ukrainian airfield and then called on other Russian pilots to follow him.

Kuzminov’s desertion is part of a propaganda war by the Ukraines and remained secret for months. It had tragic consequences too which stayed hidden for a while.

The married pilot’s surrender was the result of more than six months of pressure by Ukrainian military intelligence.  They were determined to bring the Mi-8 helicopter and its pilot to their side.

The pilot’s family had already been spirited away from Russia and they are now with Kuzminov.

Two crew members on board the helicopter were killed.

Maksim Kuzminov featured in “Downed Russian Pilots” aired on Ukrainian television. The film revealed how the landing was planned and carried out and Kuzminov called on other Russian pilots to follow his lead.

“If you do what I did, this kind of thing, you will not regret it at all. You will be provided for the rest of your life with absolutely everything,” Kuzminov said. “You will be offered work everywhere, whatever you want to do. You will just discover for yourself the world of colours.”

The documentary emphasized that Ukraine will provide Russian pilots who decide to defect all the security guarantees provided by law, as well as cash for the transferred military aircraft.

“What is happening now is simply the genocide of the Ukrainian people. Both Ukrainian and Russian. The basis of my action is not to contribute to these crimes. Ukraine will definitely win this war simply because the people have rallied very much… No one wants this war. When Ukraine wins is only a matter of time.”

#ukraine #russiandefector #russianhelicopter