In one such incident, a Russian pilot, while addressing passengers during the flight, protested against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In the first 20 seconds of the 33-second video, the pilot speaks in Russian, amidst a few applause from the passengers, before speaking in English. The unidentified pilot can be heard saying in English, “Dear customers, this is your captain speaking. I am speaking on my behalf and not as a representative of the airlines. I think war in Ukraine is a crime.” He adds, “We should not continue this war and stop it immediately. Don’t do this bloodshed. Thank you for your time.”
A Russian pilot told passengers that he believed “war is a crime in Ukraine,” and “I think every sane citizen will agree with me and do everything to stop it.” Given the rare consequence of seeing the public’s opposition to war, such a statement would result in pic.twitter.com/55h18mWI9U
— Pjotr Sauer (@PjotrSauer) 11 March 2022
Pjotr Sauer, a freelance journalist based in Moscow who writes for publications such as Guardian, shared this video. Sawyer wrote, “A Russian pilot tells passengers that he believes ‘war is a crime in Ukraine,’ and ‘I think every sane citizen will agree with me and do everything to stop it. .’ It is rare to see public protests for war given the consequences of such a statement.” Sawyer’s tweeted video has been viewed more than 2.2 million times.
There’s a lot of courage to say that in this pilot and on camera. He has done well to believe in the truth and condemn the killings in Ukraine, but he could lose his job and freedom if he goes back to Russia. With this war Putin is proving one thing: supremacy and the power to rule all https://t.co/hgkQBKUIxq
— MartinsChima (@SirMartinsChima) 13 March 2022
Yes, there are many Ukrainians and Russians who show great courage, including Ukrainian women who have stopped to defend their homeland, and Russian soldiers who refuse to participate in such heinous crimes, and this man’s Kind pilot:https://t.co/9vSQPZlyIo
— Richard (@oldpelion) 13 March 2022
Those making suspicious comments clearly don’t know that under the new law, tweeting just ‘not for war’ is a crime in Russia. Even if it’s a staged video, the man is at risk. He can be identified, detained and taken to court, not to mention even the risk of losing his job.
— Dr. Olga Andreyevskikh (@OAndreyevskikh) 11 March 2022
That’s the strong man. Ukrainian I speak to know that there are people like him in Russia and don’t blame all people. The war needs to stop. no one wins
— arthur (@artur_sand) 11 March 2022
I used my phone to translate what he could pick up. pic.twitter.com/a2p6sOErSD
— Dr. Robin (@robinindfw) 11 March 2022
He is initially telling passengers that the plane had successfully landed in Antalya, Turkey. I wonder if he returns to Russia
— this fire is out of control (@Competitore) 11 March 2022
A Ukrainian diplomat, Alexander Sherba, also shared the video and translated the opening few lines of the pilot’s speech. According to Sherba’s tweet, the pilot works for Pobeda, a subsidiary of Russia’s largest airline Aeroflot.
“Ladies and gentlemen, your captain is speaking. Welcome to Antalya. Thank you for flying with “Pobeda”. Also, from me personally: war with Ukraine is a crime…”.
This brave pilot makes a statement. #standwithUkraine️ pic.twitter.com/rzUo1BBIP2
— Alexander Sherba🇺🇦 (@olex_scherba) 11 March 2022
Earlier, Gennady Isaakovich Stern, an aviation veteran from Russia, urged pilots serving in the Russian Air Force to “stop bombing and shelling Ukrainian territory from the air.”
The video of their petition was shared by Verified Facebook Page of the Command of the Air Force of Ukraine of the Armed Forces.