Anton Vaganov/ReutersA Russian pilot who recently vanished along with his Mi-8 chopper and entire crew is actually in Ukraine after defecting as part of a six-month special operation, Ukrainian intelligence officials said Wednesday.Andriy Yusov, a representative of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s Main Intelligence Directorate, confirmed in televised comments that the Russian military helicopter had landed at a Ukrainian air base. Sources in Ukrainian intelligence cited by Ukrainska Pravda said
Mikhail Klimentyev/Sputnik/Kremlin via ReutersRussia’s Gen. Sergei Surovikin has officially been relieved of duty after reportedly spending weeks on house arrest over his suspected involvement in June’s deadly military coup.The news was first announced Tuesday by journalist Alexei Venediktov, who posted the text from a presidential decree ordering Surovikin’s dismissal as the commander of the Aerospace Forces on Twitter. The decree was not publicly available.Several pro-Kremlin Telegram channels