Ukraine Reveals How Russian Pilot Defected With Mi-8 Helicopter

Details about how the pilot of a Russian Mi-8 helicopter allegedly defected with unsuspecting crew members onboard have been revealed by Ukrainian military officials.

Kyrylo Budanov, Kyiv's chief of defense intelligence, explained that more details about the reported defection will be revealed in the Downed Russian Pilots documentary that will air in Ukraine on Sunday.

Budanov told Ukrainian news outlet Pravda that an arrangement was reached after they promised to get the pilot's family out of Russia.

He further told the outlet: "We were able to find the right approach to the pilot, move his entire family unnoticed, and finally create conditions where he was able to move this aircraft with the crew, without them knowing what was going on.

"After they realized where they [had] landed, they tried to run away. Unfortunately, they were killed. It would be better if we could [capture] them alive, but it is what it is."

Pravda reported that Artem Shevchenko, the creator of the documentary series Military Intelligence of Ukraine, said the operation was similar to the 1996 Israeli Mossad operation Diamond, where an Iraqi pilot was persuaded to steal the then most advanced MIG-21n fighter jet.

Newsweek has been unable to verify whether the defection did indeed take place as Budanov and Ukrainian military officials have presented it.

The grueling war has had a serious impact on Russia's military and has led Moscow to consider unorthodox options, according to an assessment by U.K. officials.

According to the British Defense Ministry, Russia has been "appealing to citizens of neighboring countries with recruitment adverts for individuals to fight in Ukraine."

The former Soviet nations that have been the focus of the appeal since June this year were reported to be Armenia and Kazakhstan.

The 18-month conflict has caused heavy losses on both sides, but Russian officials have been reluctant to issue a full-scale mobilization to boost troop numbers.

In mid-September last year, the Kremlin said a partial mobilization resulted in around 300,000 reservists being called up, but the Kremlin has not launched a similar conscription drive since then.

The recent recruitment drive in neighboring nations has appealed to ethnic Russians, with adverts offering $5,000 in initial payments and salaries starting at just under $2,000, the British Defense Ministry added.

The Kremlin has sought to maintain a distance between Russia's population and the "special military operation" it has fought in Ukraine since February 2022.

Newsweek has contacted Ukrainian military officials for comment via email.