MOGADISHU, Somalia – A Ukrainian helicopter captain working on a United Nations mission in Somalia has appeared in a video released by Al-Shabaab, appealing to Ukraine’s President and the United Nations Secretary-General to urgently negotiate his release after more than a year in captivity.
The pilot, Oleynik Aleksandr, identified himself as the captain of a U.N.-contracted helicopter that was forced to make an emergency landing in January 2024 in territory controlled by the Islamist militant organization. The video, released on Saturday by Al-Shabaab’s Kataib media wing, shows Aleksandr speaking directly to the camera.
He said he was addressing the world not as a free man but “as a prisoner of war, held captive by Al-Shabaab in Somalia.”
Aleksandr added that he and his crew had “performed medical evacuation flights” in support of Somali forces participating in a major offensive against the militant group from mid-2022 until early 2024.
“On January 2024, we had an emergency in the Middle regions of Somalia and we were forced to make an emergency landing over Al-Shabaab territory,” Aleksandr said.
In the video, he made a direct appeal to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, urging him to deploy diplomatic and political pressure to secure his release. He also appealed to the Ukrainian public to amplify his case so that it would not be ignored.
“Please use your influence to negotiate our release,” he said in his appeal to his president.
Aleksandr also addressed the United Nations, emphasizing that he had been operating under its mandate when he was captured.
“I also appeal to the United Nations, whose emblem and flag flew proudly on our mission. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, we were sent here by the United Nations. Yet now we find ourselves in dire need of protection and assistance,” he said.
“The UN has a duty to secure the release of its contractors taken captive during peacemaking operations,” he added.
In a final, emotional message, the Ukrainian pilot implored the United Nations’ top official not to overlook his situation.
“I beg of you Secretary-General Guterres don’t turn a blind eye to our plight,” the pilot pleaded.
Neither the United Nations nor the Ukrainian government has publicly commented on the video or on any negotiations involving the captives. Al-Shabaab, which has waged a violent insurgency against Somalia’s government for more than a decade, has previously used hostage videos as leverage to pressure governments and international organizations into talks.
