“Russia 1”: Kuzminov, who hijacked a helicopter and surrendered to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, will not live to see trial
On the TV channel “Russia-1” came out news story in which VGTRK correspondent Sergei Zenin talked with special forces soldiers about the fate of pilot Maxim Kuzminov, who hijacked a Mi-8 helicopter for the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). The fighters who introduced themselves as special forces soldiers of the Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) said that pilot Kuzminov “will not live to see trial.”
“The order has already been received”
Introducing the military personnel to television viewers, the journalist said that he could not name their names or even call signs, since the identities of the special forces soldiers are classified. On the special forces uniform there are no distinctive signs or chevrons that could confirm their belonging to the unit. One of them had bags on his chest with the symbol of tactical medicine – a red cross on a khaki background.
Frame: Russia-1 TV channel
Behind the scenes, the journalist notes that the order to physically eliminate Maxim Kuzminov “has already been received,” and its execution is only “a matter of time.” Presented as GRU special forces soldiers, the military personnel, in turn, promise to punish the defector pilot.
“We will find the man and punish him to the fullest extent of the law of our state – for betrayal, and for betraying his brothers, brothers with whom he served directly,” says one of the people in military uniform. “Of course we will find it. We can reach everyone, our arms are long,” he claims.
He won’t return to trial, I don’t think he’ll live to see it.
A third man in military uniform confirms that they cannot let this happen and “will be punished for such actions in any way.”
The Russian armed forces do not have an intelligence agency with the acronym GRU.
The agency responsible for intelligence had the abbreviation GRU, intermittently from 1942 to 2010. Then it was renamed the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces.
Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed returning the name GRU to the department in an address on the occasion of the department’s centenary, but this was not done.
The name GRU is used informally to refer to military intelligence.
Under the article “Treason” in Russia, the penalty is up to life imprisonment
Until the spring of 2023, the maximum punishment under Article 275 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation “High treason” was 20 years in prison, but in April Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law to tighten liability. The new version of this article provides for life imprisonment.
The actions of pilot Kuzminov are being investigated under this article of the Criminal Code; his case is being handled by the Federal Security Service.
Russia has had a moratorium on death sentences since 1999. Reacting to attempts to return to the practice of capital punishment, the Federation Council reminded that under the current Constitution it is impossible to cancel the moratorium. The Constitutional Court also rejected proposals to overturn the ban.
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What is known about the case of pilot Kuzminov
In September 2023, Russian media learned that pilot Maxim Kuzminov stole a Mi-8 military helicopter from the Kursk region and flew it to the territory of Ukraine. The theft allegedly occurred in early August.
Kuzminov received an offer to steal the equipment from the Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. In addition to Kuzminov, there were two more crew members on board, but they were not aware of the planned hijacking.
As pilot Kuzminov stated, upon arrival on the territory of Ukraine, his colleagues began to “behave aggressively” and opened fire on them. The head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine, Kirill Budanov, clarified that the crew members resisted.
According to investigators, Kuzminov could have decided to commit a crime under the influence of his mother. It was probably she who negotiated with the Ukrainian special services. Shortly before her son fled to Ukraine, his mother left Russian territory. In January 2023, she took a vacation from which she did not return.
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