Dear friends,

I am absolutely delighted to share a most interesting interview with you: a conversation with Valerii Ochirov, a Hero of the Soviet Union, a Lieutenant-General of the Soviet Air Force and commander of a helicopter squadron in Afghanistan.  The reason why I asked Alena Scarecrow to subtitle this interview is that I wanted you to see the kind of person which today you would find flying for the Russian Air Force in Syria.  Furthermore, while most of the attention is focused on the advanced fixed wing aircraft, like the formidable SU-34, the Russian helicopter pilots are actually taking even more risks and accomplishing for more dangerous, but crucial, missions.  In this interview, you will meet a “pure” Russian helicopter pilot, the kind of person who has, day after day, performed miracles in the skies of Afghanistan and in many other conflict areas since.  No matter how fancy and advanced the Russian aircraft are, what makes them truly unique are the men flying them.  So, today, please meet one of these amazing men.

The Saker