The Russian Defense Ministry’s Telegram channel denied claims that a Tajik citizen was part of the Mi-8 helicopter crew involved in the incident that led to the aircraft’s movements toward Ukraine. The denial explicitly states that reports circulating online and on various Telegram channels asserting the presence of a Tajik crew member are completely false.
The ministry clarified that the aviation units of the Aerospace Forces consist solely of personnel who hold Russian citizenship.
Earlier, on September 5, the Baza Telegram channel alleged that a Russian pilot, Maxim Kuzminov, took the helicopter without authorization. According to that report, Kuzminov acquired the Mi-8 from Kursk and ferried it to Ukraine with two crew members, covering a route from Kursk to the Kharkiv region on August 9.
Subsequent remarks attributed to Kuzminov described a flight plan that involved an extremely low altitude and radio silence. The pilot purportedly indicated that the route was pre-arranged and that he was likely fired upon by Russian troops during the border crossing, with at least the claim that he sustained a leg injury yet managed to reach the mission objective.
Public remarks from Moscow appeared to address the incident as a hijacking narrative involving a Russian pilot and the Mi-8 helicopter, though official channels from the defense establishment have not substantiated the broader claims circulating in some media outlets.
Earlier statements from the defense ministry referenced separate operations involving unmanned Ukrainian naval assets in the Black Sea, describing the destruction of two Ukrainian unmanned boats in maritime areas of operation.