(Photo: Alex Babenko/Getty Images) Ukrainian MI-8, part of the 12th Aviation brigade, lands during training on July 6, 2023, in the Lviv region of Ukraine. The country's helicopter brigades have remained operational throughout its war with Russia, as Ukraine's effective air-defense systems kept the invading country from securing its air superiority.

There were multiple reports of a Russian military pilot stealing his Mi-8 helicopter and flying in the direction of Ukraine's Kharkiv region in order to allegedly surrender to Ukrainian forces.

Ukrainian media reported Wednesday (August 23) that the defection was part of a long-term special operation by Kyiv's Defense Intelligence Directorate (GUR). Reporters detail the pilot was lured by Ukrainian intelligence personnel, flying between two Russian air bases and transporting parts for Su-27 and Su-30SM fighter jets.

Two crew members were also aboard the helicopter and were not informed of the pilot's intention to defect. Both were killed as a result.

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Fleeing Russia for Good

According to Ukrainska Pravda, a number of unnamed high-ranking sources from the GUR told the outlet, on the condition of anonymity, that the Russian pilot's family was taken out of Russia and into Ukraine in advance.

As for the Mi-8 and the fighter plane parts that were supposed to be delivered to the Russians, they would remain in Ukraine and would probably be repurposed, similar to other Soviet-era hardware captured from the Russians.

The operation was one of the more successful attempts the GUR made to lure Russian military personnel into the Ukrainian side.

Another attempt was made and foiled by the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) in July 2022, in which Ukrainian special service employees were reported to have offered Russian pilots up to $2 million to defect. However, Bellingcat journalist and lead Russia investigator Christo Grozev said the operation was done as intended in order to feed fake information to the FSB.

About the Mi-8

The Mil Mi-8 (NATO reporting name: "Hip") is a Soviet-era transport helicopter that initially operated in 1961. They have been exported across the Soviet Union and beyond, seeing action as far as Finland, Iraq, and Africa. Within NATO, Poland is in possession of a sizable fleet of Mi-8s as part of its legacy Soviet-era hardware.

Both Russia and Ukraine have a fleet of Mi-8s which they use in their current conflict as transport and reconnaissance aircraft, command posts, and armed gunships.

In civilian use, the Mi-8 can be used for transport and hauling, firefighting, search and rescue, and even as an agricultural crop duster.

Recently, a Russian civilian Mi-8 crashed in the Altai Mountains after it failed its landing attempt. At least six people were killed and seven injured.

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