Tough decisions were made: Commander of Special Forces disclosed details of special operations at Azovstal

According to the general, the fighters voluntarily embarked on these flights to the besieged Mariupol and to the blockaded Azovstal plant. The primary objective of such helicopter missions was to deliver ammunition to the soldiers defending the city.

"But when ten volunteers say, "We want to fly to defend Azovstal," then tough decisions have to be made. What to deliver: ammunition, medical supplies, communication devices, or people who will defend?" recalls Khorenko.

He also noted that challenges arose when there were 15 tons of cargo on board, and one helicopter could only accommodate about two people.

"The time for the operation was then counted in minutes; unloading should not have exceeded 10 minutes," the general said.

Khorenko added that he maintained direct communication with the commander of the Azov Special Forces Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine, Denys Prokopenko "Redis." At that time, even "Redis" did not suspect that he was communicating with the commander of the Special Operations Forces.

What is known about the flights to Azovstal?

In the first months of the full-scale war by Russia against Ukraine, the Russian agencies reported on Ukrainian helicopters shot down on their way to Mariupol. At that time, the Ukrainian side did not confirm any special operations to support the defenders of the besieged city.

In May, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed for the first time combat flights of Ukrainian aviation and acknowledged the deaths of many Ukrainian pilots who attempted to break through to Azovstal. According to him, food and medicines were delivered to the defenders of Mariupol, and attempts were made to evacuate the wounded. Still, at that time, operations could not be officially commented on due to the presence of Russian air defenses in the area.

As Chief of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense Kyrylo Budanov stated, there were seven such missions, 16 Mi-8 helicopters, including reinforcements for Azov, flew to Azovstal in total. However, two helicopters were shot down during the fifth and seventh missions. Additionally, another helicopter was shot down while flying to the rescue of one of the crews.

At the end of May last year, military intelligence published a unique video of the flights of Ukrainian aviation to Azovstal. Later, details of the raids by pilots on the fortress-like plant in Mariupol became known.

On May 16, the Ukrainian command ordered to save the lives of the defenders of Azovstal, after which the fighters began to come out and surrender to Russian captivity. According to recent data, about 2,500 military personnel have left the plant's territory, and the Ukrainian side is working on their exchange.