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Ukraine’s HUR Denies Russia’s Claims of Disrupted Mi-8 Helicopter Hijacking Operation
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![Ivan_khomenko]( "Ivan Khomenko")
-21d0b63c17f6020e4df75f6c6f9a2f4f.jpg "Ivan Khomenko")
The HUR has dismissed claims as a fabrication, responding to Russia’s allegations about an attempted hijacking of a Mi-8 helicopter.
Russian authorities claimed to have thwarted a supposed Ukrainian operation involving the alleged hijacking of the Mi-8 helicopter. The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) stated that it had disrupted the operation, which they said was orchestrated by Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate.
According to the FSB, the operation involved Ukrainian intelligence attempting to recruit a Russian pilot to hijack the Mi-8 helicopter and fly it to Ukrainian-controlled territory. The Russian pilot, allegedly contacted through Telegram, claimed that Ukrainian officials had asked him to poison his crew and then fly the aircraft to Ukraine. Additionally, the pilot reportedly said that Ukraine had offered to relocate his family to Moldova.
According to RBC-Ukraine, in response to these claims, HUR spokesperson Andrii Yusov called the accusations “a part of a broader Russian disinformation campaign aimed at demoralizing its own military personnel.”
Yusov emphasized that such statements were intended to intimidate Russian pilots, particularly those in tactical and strategic aviation, who, according to reports, have been facing significant morale challenges.
He noted that many Russian pilots are increasingly troubled by the fact that their airstrikes often result in civilian casualties, contributing to rising cases of alcoholism, depression, and suicidal tendencies within Russia’s aviation ranks.
Yusov also reminded that Russian pilots and soldiers facing moral dilemmas have an alternative: Ukraine’s I Want to Live program, which allows Russian military personnel to surrender safely in exchange for rewards, including significant payments for delivering military equipment, such as helicopters or fighter jets.
Yusov warned that those who choose to continue following Russian orders risk facing accountability as war criminals, with consequences determined by Ukraine’s Defense Forces.
However, Russian pilot Maksim Kuzminov defected to Ukraine, bringing with him a Mi-8 helicopter. Kuzminov was reportedly offered a reward for his defection, though he later refused to stay in Ukraine, and his death in Spain under suspicious circumstances in early 2024 was widely reported.
