Another Russian general dies in Ukraine

Major General Kanamat Botashev and an Su-25 Frogfoot

Yet another Russian general has fallen in their war on Ukraine (the claimed 13th flag officer lost by the Russian). This time, he was flying. Retired Russian Air Force Major General Kanamat Botashev is reported to have been flying an Su-25 “Frogfoot” close air support fighter jet taken down by a shoulder-fired Stinger anti-aircraft missile. It’s not clear in exactly what capacity he was operating, and it’s postulated that he was flying for the Wagner Group. You’ll recall the Wagner Group is the Russian mercenary organization led by actual Nazis (the very name “Wagner” comes from Hitler’s favorite German composer) and heavily connected to Putin. Here’s a photo of Lt. Col. Dmitry “Wagner” Utkin with Putin. 

Aside from his questionable career choices post-retirement and his affiliation with Nazis, it sounds like General Botashev was quite the character.

The Drive has the story;

In a real-life spin on Top Gun: Maverick’s Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, a 63-year-old retired Russian major general was shot out of the sky by a Stinger shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missile while flying an Su-25 over Ukraine, the BBC reports.

The BBC’s Russian Service said it had confirmed the report of Kanamat Botashev’s death with three of his former subordinates.

But one thing is certain. Botashev, like the fictional Maverick, has a hot dog history of his own.

His storied Russian military aviation career ended in June 2012, the BBC reported, after being accused of crashing a Su-27 fighter near Petrozavodsk.

Botashev was actually twice dinged for his antics. He was suspended from flying in 2011 for a similar violation, according to Russian state-run media outlet TASS.

Then, on June 28, 2012, Botashev ran tactical flight exercises at the Besovets Air Base in Karelia. He decided, without undergoing proper training and pre-flight medical checks, “to fly a two-seat Su-27UB fighter jet.” Not only that, but he also “decided to participate in performing aerial weather reconnaissance.”

During that flight, Botashev “ordered the pilot of the aircraft, the commander of the Besovetskaya air group, Colonel Yevgeny Oleinik, to transfer control of the machine to him and began to perform aerobatics not provided for by the flight task,” according to TASS.

Things didn’t turn out too well.

“When performing the ‘bell’ figure, due to errors in piloting, the fighter entered the ‘inverted corkscrew’ position, and it was not possible to correct it. Both pilots ejected at an altitude of about 500 m [~1,640 feet],” TASS reported.

Last week, Ukraine officials reported they shot down an Su-25, which apparently was the one piloted by Botashev.

It is unknown at the moment whether Botashev was flying with or without the approval of Russian military aviation officials, or whether he was flying on behalf of the Wagner Group or any other private military contractor.

“Botashev is/was an interesting character,” Dave Winslow, a retired Army intelligence Chief Warrant Officer who has tracked the Wagner Group tells The War Zone. “It’s certainly possible that he was hired by Wagner, or another PMC, after his retirement.”

More at the source. Including some discussion on how a man in his 60s is probably not the best choice to be operating a high performance jet in combat.

Category: Russia, Ukraine