Operation Synytsia

Maxim Kuzminov
Born	(1995-06-19) June 19, 1995 Arsenyev, Russia
Died	February 13, 2024(2024-02-13) (aged 28)
Occupation	Helicopter pilot
Known for	Defection to Ukraine during Operation Synytsia

Operation Synytsia

Operation Synytsia (Ukrainian: Операція «Синиця», romanized: Operatsiia "Synytsia") was a mission executed by Ukraine's Main Directorate of Intelligence aimed at enabling the defection of Russian Mi-8 helicopter pilot Maxim Kuzminov (Russian: Максим Кузьминов). Following meticulous preparations that included securing a safe escape for Kuzminov's family, on 9 August 2023, he disabled his radio communications and landed near Poltava, Kharkiv Oblast, where Ukrainian forces took him into custody.

On 5 September 2023, Ukrainian intelligence official Andriy Yusov revealed that Kuzminov would be awarded a sum of $500,000, disbursed in Ukrainian hryvnia. Yusov further assured that both Kuzminov and his relatives would be granted security assurances and ultimately offered Ukrainian citizenship.

Tragically, on 13 February 2024, Maxim Kuzminov was discovered deceased from gunshot wounds in Villajoyosa, Spain.

Background

Maxim Kuzminov (19 June 1995 – February 2024), originally from Arsenyev, graduated from the Syzran Higher Military Aviation School of Pilots. During the Russian invasion of Ukraine, he served as a pilot-navigator in the 319th Separate Helicopter Regiment, which belongs to the 11th Army of the Air Force and Air Defense within the Eastern Military District. Kuzminov was not deployed with the initial invading forces, remaining stationed with his regiment in the Amur region. It was during this period that he began educating himself on Russian-Ukrainian affairs by consulting textbooks and following bloggers to better understand the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War that started in 2014.

His research fostered a growing sympathy towards Ukraine. Despite this, he remained under contract as a pilot and was sent in October 2022 to the occupied territories of Ukraine, first arriving in Mariupol and later relocating to Berdiansk. Since he piloted an Mi-8 transport helicopter, he was not engaged directly in combat operations. Kuzminov expressed a desire to resign his commission but found himself unable to do so, citing threats that pilots who attempted to leave would be reassigned as infantry soldiers on the front lines.

Operation

At the start of 2023, Kuzminov made contact with Ukrainian intelligence services and devised a plan for defection.<ref name=holod>He recounted, I reached out to Ukrainian intelligence agents and explained my situation. They offered me guarantees for my safety, new identification documents, and financial compensation. We discussed all these arrangements and began organizing my flight.<ref>

The preparation for this mission extended over six months, culminating in Kuzminov’s flight on 9 August 2023. On that day, he was transporting equipment and spare parts intended for Russian fighter jets including the Sukhoi Su-27, Su-30SM, and Su-35. He selected this moment because the flight path brought him close to Ukrainian territory, and because of the high-value cargo he carried. Shortly before crossing into Ukraine, Kuzminov came under small arms fire from Russian infantry forces:

I didn’t simply steal a helicopter; I officially flew it from one point to another along a prearranged route. On 9 August at 16:30, I took off from Kursk airfield heading toward the Kharkiv region—approximately 20 kilometers from the border. Near Shebekino, I maintained an extremely low altitude of 5–10 meters while operating under radio silence. As I crossed the border, gunfire began targeting me. I can’t definitively say who ordered it, but I believe it came from Russian forces. I sustained a leg wound from small arms fire. After flying about 20 kilometers further, I landed at the designated spot.<ref>

Kuzminov’s crew included an onboard technician and a navigator, neither of whom were aware of his plan to defect.<ref>He later explained that while his crewmates grew anxious and hostile during the flight, they were unable to prevent him since he was the sole individual qualified to operate and land the helicopter. He also attempted unsuccessfully to persuade them to surrender.<ref>

According to Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate, the other crew members tried to flee after landing but were detected and killed by Ukrainian forces. Conversely, Russian sources argued that wounds indicated both crew members had been shot at close range prior to landing, implying Kuzminov might have been responsible for their deaths.<ref> An official from Ukrainian intelligence, Andriy Yusov, stated that alongside acquiring the Mi-8 helicopter—manufactured in 2016—and its cargo of fighter jet components, Ukrainian forces gained "priceless intelligence" on Russian aviation capabilities that could be leveraged to improve their air defense systems.<ref>

Coverage

On 23 August, roughly two weeks following the event, the Telegram channel Fighterbomber, linked to the Russian Ministry of Defense, reported that a pilot had "lost his way" and unexpectedly landed within Ukrainian borders for reasons that remained unclear. Hours later, Kyrylo Budanov confirmed that the pilot had defected to Ukraine.

Subsequently, on 4 September, the Ukrainian Main Intelligence Directorate published a documentary titled Down Russian Pilots, which disclosed further insights into the operation, including the pilot’s identity. The documentary drew parallels between this mission and Operation Diamond (Penicillin), an Israeli Mossad operation in 1966 that persuaded an Iraqi pilot to hijack a MiG-21, then considered the Soviet Union's most advanced fighter jet.

Kyrylo Budanov described this mission as "the first successful one in the entire history of Ukraine".

No one has accomplished this before. We anticipate expanding such operations now, said the Head of GUR. We managed to establish the right approach with the pilot, discreetly relocate his entire family outside Russia, and ultimately create conditions allowing him to transfer the helicopter with its crew without their awareness. Once they realized their location, they attempted to flee. Regrettably, they were killed. Capturing them alive would have been preferable, but circumstances dictated otherwise.Template:Attribution needed

Aftermath

In September, following protracted negotiations, Russia succeeded in reclaiming the remains of the crew members who died due to Kuzminov's actions. Both crewmen, Khushbakht Tursunov and Nikita Kiryanov, were posthumously awarded the Orders of Courage.

In February 2024, a body discovered in an underground parking facility in Villajoyosa, Alicante Province, Spain—bearing multiple bullet wounds and showing signs of being run over—was identified as Kuzminov. Western intelligence analysts suggested it was probable that he was assassinated by Russia’s SVR. At that time, Kuzminov was living under the alias Igor Shevchenko. According to reports from El País, Spanish authorities had issued him forged documents but did not extend formal protection guarantees.

Spanish officials believe Kuzminov’s cover was compromised after he contacted an ex-girlfriend to invite her to Alicante, a popular destination among Russians and Ukrainians residing along the Costa Blanca.

See also

• Suspicious Russia-related deaths since 2022

External links

• “Russian pilots shot down” on YouTube
• MI-8 PILOT, CAPTAIN, delivered a helicopter to the GUR of Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense| SPECIAL OPERATION OF THE CENTURY on YouTube
• GUR press briefing on the specifics of the special operation involving the capture of the Russian helicopter on YouTube
• Michael Schwirtz, José Bautista: The Killing of a Russian Defector Sparks Concerns Over Assassination Squads. In: New York Times, March 31, 2024.