Ukraine releases footage of Russian helicopter pilot who defected after flying over border

The Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s Main Intelligence Directorate has released a new film titled Downed Pilots of Russia that details several special operations that Ukrainian intelligence has conducted during the war. One of the operations involves a Russian pilot who crossed the border into Ukraine in an Mi-8 helicopter in August. The pilot, who is introduced in the film as Maxim Kuzminov from the Russian Air Force’s 319th helicopter regiment, says in the clip that he chose to defect because he opposes Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and did not want to take part in it.