Ukrainian plane crashes on Russian border, pilot arrested

Máy bay Ukraine rơi ở vùng biên giới Nga, phi công bị bắt - 1 — A-22 Foxbat aircraft (Photo: Sputnik).

The Federal Security Service (FSB) of Russia announced on April 5 that a Ukrainian light aircraft crashed in Russia's Bryansk region, near the Ukrainian border.

The pilot of the plane survived the crash and has been detained by the Russian side. Russian border guards did not specify whether the plane was military or civilian.

Images shared online show the pilot wearing what appears to be military-style clothing and a camouflage helmet. He was carrying a bulletproof vest and an AK assault rifle as he attempted to flee.

The Russian security service said the plane crashed “for unknown reasons” near the village of Butovsk, 25km from the border. The pilot tried to flee back to Ukraine but was stopped by a border patrol.

The aircraft is believed to be similar to the Ukrainian-made Aeroprakt A-22 Foxbat ultralight aircraft. The aircraft landed in an empty field.

Earlier in the day, the Bryansk region was attacked by a Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), according to Governor Aleksandr Bogomaz. The UAV dropped an explosive device in the Suzemsky district of the region bordering Ukraine, injuring at least one person.

The incident comes as Moscow accuses Ukraine of being behind a series of attacks on Russian territory in recent weeks, including drone attacks on civilian infrastructure in southern Russia and a drone crash outside Moscow, just 120km from the Kremlin.

In early March, the Russian military and security services accused a “Ukrainian sabotage group” of infiltrating the Bryansk border region and attacking several villages. According to Russia’s FSB security service, the group was “pushed back into Ukrainian territory and met with a large-scale artillery response.” The FSB said a large number of explosive devices of various types were found in the area raided by the Ukrainian group.

Russian President Vladimir Putin called it a "terrorist attack", suggesting that those behind the raid may have also orchestrated the assassination of Russian journalist Darya Dugina last August.

Russia's border regions have been repeatedly attacked in recent months amid a conflict between the two countries that has been raging for more than a year. Moscow has accused Kiev of being behind the attacks. However, Ukraine has denied any involvement in the Bryansk attack. Mykhailo Podoliak, an adviser to the head of the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's office, said Russia's accusations were a "provocation".

The head of Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, Kyrylo Budanov, warned in January that there could be more attacks deep into Russian territory in the coming period. However, Budanov did not specify whether Ukraine had played any role in these incidents.

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