“Russian pilots were misled.” How Ukraine protects the sky: GUR film – in a minute – Ukrainian news, Politics

How Ukrainian air defense shot down Russian pilots, Ukrainian drones bombed Russian airfields, and the GUR stole a Russian Mi-8 helicopter along with its pilot

The largest air invasion in the world – combat aircraft and helicopters, cruise and ballistic missiles, unmanned attack and reconnaissance drones.

“Not every pilot believed that this was really not an exercise, this was for real,” says Alexey Manyushkin, commander of the 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade.

How our pilots and anti-aircraft gunners shot down enemy aircraft in the Ukrainian sky. What military intelligence learned from the downed enemy pilots and how much ours exchanged them. Plus exclusive details operations Main Intelligence Directorate codenamed “Tit”: LIGA.net watched the movie “Russian pilots shot down” and retells the most interesting moments.

“RUSSIAN PILOTS WERE MISLEADED”

The Russians started the big war exactly as Western and Ukrainian intelligence predicted – with massive air strikes. The goal is to destroy Ukraine’s ability to resist in the sky while still on the ground, that is, to achieve first an advantage and then complete dominance in the air before a ground operation.

“In the first minutes and hours of the invasion, Russia launched missile and bomb attacks on the main airfields where our aviation is based, on the locations of air defense units and on radio engineering troops. But the power of these attacks did not correspond to the task assigned to the Russian Aerospace Forces,” says Head of the Main Intelligence Directorate Kirill Budanov.

Before the invasion, the enemy redeployed combat helicopters and aircraft to airfields in the south of occupied Crimea, the north in neighboring Belarus and eastern Russia. More than 500 aircraft were stationed at more than 40 airfields.

Having promptly received accurate information from military intelligence about the scale, direction and time of the air invasion, the Ukrainian defenders of the sky managed to disperse aircraft and anti-aircraft missile systems.

“In fact, they hit about 20% of the objects from the entire list of those they wanted. This prevented complete dominance in the air,” explains Budanov. “And the fact that they failed to destroy most of the air defense systems negated their dominance in aircraft classes and aircraft numbers.”

The interception of radio communications between Russian aircraft pilots showed that the enemy is calm, even self-confident. The air base of the 40th tactical aviation brigade in Vasilkov, which covered the capital, was a priority target for enemy pilots with the call signs Samba, 023, Priliv and Raper.

But very quickly the enemy aces began to feel the impact of the unsuppressed air defense system. The enemy planes and helicopters that were attacking Ukrainian cities in flocks began to be hit by infantrymen from the ground using portable air defense systems, anti-aircraft gunners using S-300 and BUK-M1 missiles, and our combat pilots.

“Sure, [российских] the pilots were misled,” says Sergei Yaremenko, commander of the 96th anti-aircraft missile brigade. “They were told that the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ air defense system had been suppressed or destroyed. But it was never destroyed.”

The first Russian ace shot down, caught in Ukrainian captivitybecame major Alexander Krasnoyartsev. This is one of the two pilots of the Su-34 fighter-bomber shot down over Chernigov on March 5, 2022. The navigator, Major Krivolapov, fell to his death during the ejection.

Captivity saved Krasnoyartsev from the massacre of the Chernigov residents, since before that he shot a local resident who was chasing him with a pistol.

On the same day, March 5, 2022, in the Nikolaev region, Ukrainian defenders met major Alexey Golovensky, flight commander. Together with him, navigator Captain Alexei Kozlov was captured.

“My aviation regiment was also informed of the task of a planned amphibious landing from naval ships on the territory of Ukraine,” Golovensky said in captivity. “Our leadership assured that Ukraine is weak in air defense, that everything is old and does not work. So fly.” , invade, don’t be afraid of anything.”

At that press conference on March 11, 2022, the third participant was Another one downed Russian pilot – Maxim Kristop. On March 6, 2022, his Su-34 fighter dropped eight bombs on the Kharkov television tower.

But even when they exploded on the ground, our anti-aircraft missiles were flying at the enemy plane. The pilots managed to eject: the navigator died, and pilot Krishtop was detained by National Guard soldiers the next day.

On March 13, 2022, in a field in the Izyum district of the Kharkov region, the remains of the Su-30SM fighter pilot Sergei Kosyk were burning out. He wandered through the forests for 10 days and froze his feet before he was captured. On April 4, 2022, a Su-35 fighter piloted by Major Malov was also shot down in the Kharkov region.

Senior Russian pilot officers became not only a source of important information for Ukrainian intelligence, but also a valuable exchange fund.

“There is a shortage of personnel. There are few high-quality pilots… This explains that brigade commanders were at the controls of the aircraft, because there are only a few trained pilots,” says Budanov.

The fact that the Russian army is experiencing a shortage of pilots is demonstrated by the story of a captured military pensioner, retired major Andrei Fedorchukov. His Su-24 attack aircraft was shot down in June 2022 near Svetlodarsk. It turned out that Fedorchukov flew as part of the private terrorist military company Wagner, where he received 205,000 rubles a month.

Read also: One way ticket. GUR film about unknown details of helicopter missions to Azovstal – in a minute

STOP MISSILE TERROR

In mid-October 22, Russia began a new phase of the air war. The occupiers decided to repeat the Syrian experience of total destruction of peaceful cities, but not with bombs, but with missiles and drones. In particular, with the help of long-range strategic aviation aircraft Tu-95 and Tu-22.

“At the moment, hunting for these launch vehicles in the air is impossible, because they launch 1,000 km from the target,” explains the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate.

But planes can be obtained on the ground. In December 2022, military intelligence conducted two operations. On December 5 at night, the Diaghilevo military airbase in the Ryazan region was attacked an old (Soviet-made) Tu-141 “Strizh” drone, but equipped with explosives. The strike significantly damaged two strategic bombers – Tu-95 and Tu-22.

A little later in the morning, another Russian long-range aviation air base in the city of Engels in the Saratov region also arrived “Swift”. Two Tu-95 launch vehicles were damaged.

August 19, 2023 at the Soltsy airbase in Nizhny Novgorod, 650 kilometers from the Ukrainian border on the ground was amazed strategic bomber Tu-22M3. It burned to the ground. In addition, at the Shaikovka airbase in the Kaluga region were damaged two more such launch vehicles.

In just three days in mid-August, enemy long-range aviation lost two strategic bombers, and two more were significantly damaged.

Military intelligence exchanged all captured Russian pilots: senior officers Krishtop, Kosik and Malov – in a ratio of one to 15. On May 6, 2023, for three pilots, Ukraine returned 45 Azovstal defenders.

OPERATION “TIT”

Next, the author shows exclusive footage of the operation of military intelligence and the internal security department of the National Police, codenamed “Tit”: the capture of a new Russian Mi-8 AMTSH helicopter with an armored cabin. The scouts’ loot, along with the helicopter with tail number 62, was valuable documentation and secret technical equipment.

The commander of the aircraft, 28-year-old captain Maxim Kuzminov, actually stole a helicopter, flying across the front line along a safe corridor organized by military intelligence.

“I contacted a Ukrainian intelligence representative, explained my situation, and was offered the following option: let us guarantee you security, new documents, monetary compensation,” says Kuzminov.

During the final stage of the operation, the pilot was injured, but he received medical assistance in a timely manner. “I realized that I was near the border. I transmitted my location and flew at low altitude in radio silence. No one knew what was wrong with me. For three or four days no one understood what was happening,” recalls the Russian pilot.

Currently, the Russian helicopter pilot is providing valuable evidence about enemy army aviation, communications systems and airfield networks to our military intelligence. And he calls on other Russian pilots to follow his example: “You will not regret it at all. You will be provided with everything for the rest of your life.”

Read also: “It was epic, we killed a lot of people.” How Ukraine liberated Zmeiny: GUR film – in a minute

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Source: liga.net