A Russian Mi-8 helicopter pilot landed on a Ukrainian air base in Kharkiv Oblast in what Ukrainian officials claimed was a planned defection, Ukrainian intelligence officials said, according to Ukrainska Pravda.

The incident was the culmination of a secret plot by the Defence Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence.

The pilot of the helicopter who conducted flights between two Russian air bases and transported the parts of Su-27 and Su-30SM fighter jets, cooperated with Ukrainian intelligence during the last six months. His had been brought from Russia to Ukraine before his defection.

The pilot landed at Poltava military air base which is located 300 km away from the front line with two other crew members. They were unwilling to surrender and were eliminated.