An explosion is seen in an apartment building after Russian's army tank fires in Mariupol, Ukraine, Friday, March 11, 2022. (AP/Evgeniy Maloletka)
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Video of a Russian pilot apparently admitting he had been ordered to bomb a civilian target is airing on Ukrainian media, Newsweek reports.
“In the process of completing the task, I realized that the target was not enemy military facilities, but residential buildings, peaceful people,” says the pilot, who gave his name as Maxim Krishtop.
The Ukraine Air Force shot down Krishtop’s plane and soldiers captured him on Sunday, March 6, according to Ukrainian officials.
Krishtop, a lieutenant colonel and deputy commander of the 47th Aviation Regiment, said that he carried out three bombing missions in Ukraine that included dropping Soviet-era bombs with high-explosive warheads.
“I recognize the enormity of the crimes committed by me. I want to ask forgiveness from the entire Ukrainian people for the misfortune that we brought them,” Krishtop said.
