Oleksandr Morozov is a civilian pilot who decided to learn to fly at the age of 50. In the late 2000s, he bought himself a small plane, and then together with other volunteers from the Kharkiv region, he created an "air ambulance" and delivered doctors to the sick in remote villages. Until in April of last year, Oleksandr was captured by the Russians.

"Before my husband was kidnapped, he was invited to the Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) as a pilot. He was already preparing documents for this job, but as I understand it, he had not been officially appointed yet. He flew on missions, but he was not officially registered. I found out about Oleksandr's arrest from Ukrainian news," - Morozov's wife Inna told the documenters of the Association. According to her, on April 5, 2023, when her husband was performing one of the tasks in the Bryansk region of the Russian Federation, his plane was shot down, but he managed to land. After landing, he was detained.

This incident has been widely covered by Russian media. The pro-Kremlin Telegram channel SHOT, citing sources, claims that the plane was shot down by gunfire, forcing the pilot to make an emergency landing. The Telegram channel Baza reported that "next to the plane, law enforcement officers found buried in the ground automatic weapons, ammunition, and a bulletproof vest." In the video published on the Telegram channel, the man stated that he was not a military pilot but a civilian and was on a mission to take photos. According to the pilot, he did not know he was in Russian territory because his tablet malfunctioned.

Morozov's plane crashed in the Klintsy district near the village of Butovsk, about 30 kilometers from Ukraine.

After his arrest, he was immediately taken to the Bryansk pre-trial detention center for a month and charged with illegally crossing the Russian border. Later, more serious charges emerged, including illegal transportation of firearms and ammunition across the state border and sabotage. At the same time, pro-Kremlin media began to publish news claiming that during the inspection of the plane, Russian law enforcement officers found a bomb release lever, allegedly indicating that Morozov was flying as a saboteur.

In July 2023, Morozov was transferred to the Lefortovo pre-trial detention center in Moscow, which Inna learned from the lawyer appointed by the investigation. The wife of the detainee found another defense lawyer who will effectively defend Oleksandr's rights and passes letters from her husband to Inna.

"I had one phone call with Sasha, but in the presence of an investigator. I asked him how he was doing, he replied that everything was fine. But again - he was with the investigator, so my husband could not complain and may have said something untrue. He told me that they walk around the detention center once a day and have a shower once a week," says Morozov's wife.

Morozov does not belong to any military unit, so the Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) does not confirm that he was in military status at the time of abduction and was performing tasks as a civilian. Therefore, according to Inna, Morozov is considered a civilian who disappeared under specific circumstances.

‍