Ukrainian pilots detained in Russia in 2023 cooperated with the investigation

Ukrainian pilots Dmytro Shymanskyy and Oleksandr Morozov, who were detained in Russia in 2023, have cooperated with the investigation and confessed within the framework of the criminal investigation into terrorism. This was reported by TASS on January 11 with reference to law enforcement agencies.

According to the agency, the case will be considered by the 2nd Western District Military Court. The hearing will be held in closed mode due to the presence of state secrets in the case and in order to ensure the security of the process participants.

It is specified that both defendants are charged under seven and 10 articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation respectively - including terrorism, violation of international flight rules and illegal crossing of the state border. They are being held in a pre-trial detention center in Moscow. In late December 2024, a military court extended their arrest for another six months.

In April 2023, it became known that a Ukrainian light-engine plane crashed in the Bryansk region, and the pilot who tried to escape was detained by border guards. In June, the Russian Federal Security Service specified that Russian special services had detained two pilots of light-engine airplanes who worked for the main intelligence directorate of the Defense Ministry of Ukraine.

Shimansky was caught near Tula: he was supposed to hand over explosives, a pistol and drones to the saboteurs. Morozov was forced to land in the Bryansk region after a failed attempt to blow up a factory. In addition, law enforcers found out that Ukraine's security services were planning to drop "dirty bombs" on infrastructure facilities in Ivanovo Region.