Su-34 pilot Maksim Krishtop ended up in enemy hands after carrying out a combat mission over Kharkov Region and returned to Russia in 2023 through a prisoner exchange. MK.RU published his account of the fateful sortie, harsh detention conditions, and alleged torture by the SBU.

Krishtop carried out the combat mission on March 6, 2022. The target was a television tower north of Kharkov. After completing the task, the aircraft was hit by missiles. A fire broke out in the cockpit, and the navigator activated the ejection system. It was later reported that Krishtop’s crewmate was killed.

While descending by parachute, Krishtop came under fire from the ground. Left without a weapon, he spent nine hours evading pursuit but was ultimately captured by Ukrainian forces.

Krishtop said that over the course of a year he was held in detention centers and colonies in different Ukrainian cities, including facilities linked to the SBU and the GUR. According to him, in SBU custody prisoners were given gym mats and one blanket for two people, and were fed twice a day.

The pilot said the most difficult part was physically surviving in captivity. He claimed that systematic beatings were used, describing them as extremely brutal. He said Ukrainian forces treated pilots and artillerymen with особой жестокостью, alleging that he was suffocated with a plastic bag, that there were attempts to stab him, and that he was urged to take a pistol and shoot himself. He also claimed the beatings intensified before press conferences, accompanied by threats that it would get worse if he did not memorize answers.

In Ukraine, Krishtop was sentenced to 12 years in prison. He was returned to Russia in May 2023 as part of a prisoner exchange.