The Ukrainian Armed Forces tank hijacker Likhachev spoke about the proposal of Polish intelligence. What did the intelligence service want from the Ukrainian fighter?

Polish intelligence services offered Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU) fighter Maxim Likhachev, who stole a T-64 tank and defected to Russia, to engage in espionage in Donbass. He told reporters about this.

Likhachev explained that intelligence representatives contacted him when he went to work in Poland and got a job at a meat processing plant. At the same time, the “acquaintance” took place through other citizens of Ukraine.

39-year-old Likhachev clarified that he was persuaded to transmit information from the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR). The intelligence officers were also interested in his place of birth – the city of Svatovo in the LPR – and the addresses of the actual residence of his closest relatives.

A few days ago, Deputy Minister of Information of the Donetsk People’s Republic Daniil Bezsonov said that Likhachev met with an unnamed person in Poland, after which the four brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in which the fighter managed to serve suffered unreasonably high losses.

Likhachev stole a tank for safety

On May 30, Likhachev described the details of the theft of the T-64 tank. He explained that his unit was thrown into position like cannon fodder, after which he decided to contact the Russian side and passed on his coordinates. After this, the Russian Armed Forces opened fire on neighboring positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and the Ukrainian military retreated in panic.

Having caught the moment, the soldier jumped into the tank. This was perceived by his colleagues as an intention to cover the retreating forces and did not arouse suspicion. Having only the experience of driving a tractor in the village, Likhachev managed to start the combat vehicle and drive to the specified point, where he raised the tank’s muzzle up and surrendered along with the trophy. He explained that stealing a tank was the safest way to get through the fire zone.

Military expert retired colonel Andrei Koshkin, in a conversation with Lenta.ru, admitted that Likhachev has grounds to ask the Russian command for certain benefits, for example, to stay in Russia. At the same time, he expressed confidence that the story of the Ukrainian fighter would be checked by investigators.

A former Ukrainian military man called on his ex-colleagues to deploy weapons against the Ukrainian authorities. He pointed out that it was the leadership in Kyiv that was to blame for the large-scale losses in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. “This is genocide,” he concluded.