The Russian pilot who carried out aerial bombardments of the residential areas of Chernihiv was exchanged for five Ukrainian pilots about five months ago, said the head of the State Security Service of Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov on Sept 30.
The #Russian pilot Alexander Krasnoyartsev, known by his nickname "Pilot Doughboy," who was shot down near #Chernihiv, was exchanged for five #Ukrainian pilots. This was reported by the head of the State Security Service of #Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov. pic.twitter.com/bXLXwFZvzE
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) October 1, 2022
A Russian SU-34 senior pilot, the head of air-fire and tactical training of the Russian Federation, Alexander Krasnoyartsev, was fully aware that he was not attacking military targets and that he was killing civilians. Previously, he carried out the bombardments of civilians in Syria where he was photographed with Russian President Putin and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in 2017.
On March 5, Krasnoyartsev piloted the SU-34 plane carrying six 500-kilogram uncontrolled aerial bombs over Chernihiv. When the Ukrainian military downed the plane, killing the second pilot, Krasnoyartsev catapulted and landed on a roof of a private house. He then shot the owner of the house, Vitaly Serhienko, 49, who was chasing him with a spade, hid in a nearby barn, and later surrendered to the Ukrainian soldiers. On being captured, Krastoyartsev first denied that he knew the nature of the targets but later admitted that he was consciously bombing a crowded city and residential areas.
The Russian army bombed Lucya's home. Her three daughters lost their houses, too.
Villages around #Chernihiv are in ruins after the siege, artillery fire, and air strikes. Read more about #Chernihiv at https://t.co/BafAOjzi6y.
🎥 @ZarinaZabrisky pic.twitter.com/NcIy1VZJaQ
— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) September 1, 2022
On April 23, Ukrainian law enforcement agencies filed a case against Krasnoyartsev for violating the laws and customs of war and premeditated murder.
“I live in Chernihiv. On March 4, at night, a Russian plane attacked a nine-story building where civilians were sleeping, destroying a big part of it,” said Oleh, Vitaly’s friend, in an interview with Euromaidan Press. “The plane was shot down the next day. It fell near my house. Two military men jumped out, using parachutes. One did not reach the ground. The second landed in the courtyard of a private house where my good friend and co-worker, Vitaly Serhienko, lived. Vitaly saw the pilot, grabbed a shovel, and the pilot, by the name of Krasnoselsky, shot him point blank. The day before this tragedy, I saw Vitaly. Now, Vitaly is no more.”
