Ukrainians aren't my enemy, says Russian pilot who walked away from the war
On 28 May, as Russia was celebrating Border Guards day, 26-year old helicopter pilot Dmitry Mishov packed his bags and secretly left Russia. He was heading for Lithuania to claim asylum and avoid being sent to fight in Ukraine in a war he says he strongly opposes. BBC Russian special correspondent Ilya Barabanov went to meet him in Vilnius to hear his story.
We meet Dmitry Mishov in a small hotel room. It’s his first time in Europe. He’s been in Vilnius for two days and says he’s been walking around the city in the evenings. He crossed into Lithuania illegally and is feeling nervous. “If I go to a museum will they ask for my passport?” he asks.
He introduces himself in military style: “Dmitry Aleksandrovich Mishov, Lieutenant. Former position – assistant helicopter pilot. Then I became the navigator-commander of a combat helicopter. I served in a unit in Ostrov.” Mishov is referring to Unit No.44440, in a small Russian town in the Pskov region. As part of the 15th Aviation Brigade, Mishov’s unit has been attacking Ukraine since day zero. They have Soviet and Russian-built attack helicopters: Mi-26s, Mi-28s, Mi-35s, Mi-8MTV-5s and the Ka-52 “Alligators.”
“Naturally, I hoped that none of this would happen. But there were signs that it was coming.” Mishov, says remembering the months leading up to the war. “Back in November [2021] reconnaissance of the border territories begun. They started giving us weapons that weren’t normally used in exercises, and armouring the helicopters.”
So the Russian army knew that war was approaching.
Five helicopters and two crews
On the eve of 24 February, when Putin announced the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Dmitry Mishov was asleep in his barracks in Belarus. He awoke to an order to fly to Hostomel, a big cargo airport on the outskirts of Kyiv. His flight was subsequently cancelled because of the heavy losses Russia was incurring. “At that stage they were still saying there were no losses, but my classmate was killed on the first day. Five helicopters and two crews were lost [at Hostomel.]”
BBC: It’s rather unusual for a military man not to want to fight. An anti-war soldier. How do you feel about the Russian invasion of Ukraine?
“I’m against it. I’m a soldier, my job is to defend my country against aggression. But I must not become an accomplice to this crime. For some reason, they never explained to us why the war started. Why did we have to attack and kill Ukrainians, destroy their cities? Half of Ukrainians have relatives in Russia. It wasn’t so clear why we had to kill them [Ukrainians.] I think it was just to keep one person in power – Putin. He wanted to strengthen his power, he thought it was a good idea at the time.”
Mishov says that the mood in the Russian army can vary – a few of his colleagues strongly favour the war; a few condemn it, but most are just fed up with the fighting conditions and the pay. Most pilots are still on their old salaries (80,000-90,000 roubles a month – around £800) whilst new recruits are being promised 204,000 roubles a month by the Russian state.
Mishov’s campaign to leave the unit dragged on until September, but his request was finally granted. Whilst he waited, the young officer stayed in Pskov and never visited the front. The BBC has a copy of the document signed by Major General Sergei Riumishin, granting Lieutenant Mishov early dismissal from the reserve on 6 September 2022.
Mishov spent the next month on probation as he waited for his name to be officially removed from the list. The BBC has access to a message from the Unit No.44440 commander that Mishov “should consider himself dismissed from 7 October, with the cessation of all payments and the loss of access to official secrets.”
But a happy ending was not to be – Putin announced mobilisation on 21 September.”
By 15 October Mishov’s permission to leave had already been withdrawn by his unit. They called to tell him he was expected back at the squadron base. And on 9 October the higher command of Major General Ruimishin cancelled his release.
Mishov tried to challenge the decision in court in December, but the Pskov garrison court martial sided with his command. The BBC has a copy of the verdict.
I tried everything
“We realised that I’d lost my case. I’d have to go back and serve,” says Mishov. “There were all these amendments to the criminal code – previously, it hadn’t been technically illegal to resign. They took away the choice and started putting pressure on me.”
As a punishment, Mishov’s commander threatened to send him to the front as a foot soldier.
“They forced me to sign a statement, saying I’d bear arms and join a mission on a certain date. That was at the end of January,” remembers Mishov. He had the conversation on 27 January , with his unit planning to dispatch him to the front on the 31st. Mishov spent the weekend weighing up his options – he wanted to avoid combat, but not end up in jail.
“I cut my wrists,” he said, “Not completely, but enough to put me in hospital.”
Mishov hoped that dropping to a lower fitness category would help his case to leave. But it was soon clear that this hadn’t worked either, and the prospect of criminal charges was very real.
After Mishkov injured himself, the commander of the helicopter squadron argued that the gesture was “a crime under Article 339 of the Russian Criminal Code – an attempt to evade service by feigning illness or other means.” The usual punishment for this offense is a six-month sentence – rising to 5-10 years during mobilisation, martial law, or an active war.
“By this point I’d tried everything. When I was in hospital, even the doctor told me it wouldn’t work, they were sending everyone back to their units. I decided to run,” says Mishov.
Lying in the hospital, Mishov read a story online about some people from Pskov who’d managed to flee via Latvia in January 2023. There was a comment from Latvian lawyer and European parliamentary advisor Aleksei Dimitrov – EU law grants asylum to those facing punishment for refusing service during wartime.
“I never thought I’d refuse to serve,” explains Mishov, “I always expected that I’d do my duty if my country was in danger. But I refuse to become an accomplice to this crime. If I was in a combat helicopter, I’d be killing people. I would have killed several dozen people – and I wouldn't want that, the Ukrainians aren’t my enemies.”
Once he’d decided to flee, the lieutenant stayed in hospital working on his plan. “The first thing to do was get myself out of Russia. I’d heard of a group called “Order of the Republic.” Junior officers had told me about these retired officers who were against Putin, that they were helping people. I made contact with them on Telegram – they heard my story and said they’d help.”
“Don’t worry, they said, we’ll take care of everything. And that was what happened. I couldn’t have physically managed it without them, I’d been in hospital for a month and a half. My body was weak. The people who helped me worked out a route, so I’d avoid the hidden border guards.”
BBC Russian has the names of those who helped Mishov to cross the border, but is withholding them for safety reasons.
When Mishov was almost at the border he saw the flash of a nearby signal flare, and then another. “I thought that the hunt was up, I scrambled over the barbed and ran deeper into the forest. There was a third flare behind me.”
Safe on EU territory, Mishov’s rescuers met him and drove him to Vilnius. Mishov remembers how he felt after crossing the border. “Breathing free air at last, it felt so pure and fresh. Until then I felt the threat hanging over me, ten years in jail or worse. I could easily have ended up in prison if the border guards caught me. But afterwards I could breathe again, and I went on with new strength.”