During the press conference, one of the captured Russian pilots - Maksym Krishtop - said that he managed to make three flights to Ukrainian territory. During one of the flights, he dropped 4 tons of high-explosive bombs on the residential houses of the peaceful Ukrainians. While carrying out the tactical objective, the pilot realized that the target is not a military object but the residential houses, “Liga” reports.
Krishtop emphasized that the pilots themselves asked to speak to the independent media. However, if they were not shot down, they would continue bombing Ukraine but would later refuse to carry out such objectives and destroy Mariupol and Kharkiv in Ukraine.
Answering the journalist’s question, the pilot replied that he believes that closing the sky is the opportunity to end the war.
“I hope that our leadership will come to its senses on all the levels and will stop destroying peaceful cities, - Krishtop said. - From the conversations with the Ukrainian service members, I learned that Kharkiv did not suffer such destructions since World War II. Kharkiv ceases to exist under the attacks from the Russian armed forces.”
"We will be brought to trial first on the territory of Ukraine, and later, probably, the International Court of Justice in Hague as war criminals," Christophe said when asked by journalists about the future of the captured pilots. "I consider the decision to launch a special military operation in Ukraine to be wrong and criminal," the captured pilot concluded.
The pilots had been receiving orders to conduct airstrikes on Ukraine since February 24.
Another captured pilot Oleksyi Holovenskyi, whose mother lives in Ukraine, flew from Saky airfield in the occupied Crimea. Earlier, the Security Service of Ukraine released a video statement from Holovenskyi’s mother, who apologized that she did not manage to raise “a decent human.”
Three captured Russian soldiers gave the press conference: Krishtop Maksym Serhiyovych (lieutenant colonel, deputy commander of the 47th Aviation Regiment Military Unit 45117 Russian Federation Armed Forces); Kozlov Oleskyi Ihorovych (navigator of the aviation squadron, captain); Holovenskyi Serhiy Serhiyovych (commander of the aviation squadron, major).