In Moscow, Ukrainian special forces who destroyed Russian aircraft were "convicted"

In Moscow, Ukrainian special forces who destroyed Russian aircraft were "convicted"

A court in Moscow sentenced Ukrainian special forces operatives who conducted an operation to destroy Russian aircraft on the territory of the aggressor country in 2023. These are Lieutenant Colonel Andriy Antonenko, who was sentenced to 28 years of imprisonment, Captain Andriy Kulish (26 years in prison), Junior Lieutenant Denys Tkachenko (27 years), and Sergeant Oleksiy Mazurenko (26 years).

The judges of the aggressor country recognized the Ukrainian soldiers as "terrorists". However, the special forces operatives themselves called it a "cosplay on justice" and even quoted Pavel Tychyna’s poems to the Russians, which they did not understand there.

In particular, the Ukrainian military was accused of "mining railways, power lines, and oil storage facilities deep within the territory," as well as placing drones near the Shaykovka airfield in the Kaluga region in August 2023.

What the Heroes Said

"I do not consider myself a terrorist and disagree with the accusations made against me. I do not know how my further fate and life will turn out, but I have such a deep personal feeling that here it is some kind of cosplay on justice," said Andriy Antonenko.

He then recited from memory lines from Tychyna’s poem "I Assert Myself":

I am a people whose strength of Truth

has not yet been conquered by anyone.

What trouble has mowed me, what plague! —

but strength blossomed again.

The judge then admitted that he did not understand anything and even asked what it was about.

In turn, Andriy Kulish, Denys Tkachenko, and Oleksiy Mazurenko reiterated that they do not consider themselves terrorists and disagree with the charges. They emphasized that they were fulfilling their "military duty, the duty of citizens of Ukraine."

Moreover, the Ukrainians repeatedly stressed that all the targets they aimed to damage were of military significance. Our soldiers did not harm Russian civilians in any way.

What is Known About the DIU Operation

The Defence Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence shared details of the operation. In August 2023, a Ukrainian special forces reconnaissance group covered 600 kilometers on foot across Russian territory. During this operation, a strategic TU-22M3 bomber was destroyed, and two more aircraft were severely damaged.

The DIU acknowledged that the operation not only "caused significant economic damage" to the aggressors but also "provoked panic among the local population and military personnel" of Russia.

However, on their way back to Ukraine, the scouts fell into an ambush. Covering the withdrawal of their comrades, the group commander Oleh Babiy was killed in action.