Al-Shabaab releases video of Ukrainian U.N. pilot held hostage in Somalia

MOGADISHU, Somalia — A Ukrainian helicopter pilot contracted by the United Nations and held captive by Al-Shabaab has appeared in a video pleading for his release, calling on Ukrainian leaders and U.N. officials to press for his freedom.

In the video released by al-Shabaab’s Kataib media wing, the pilot, identified as Oleynik Aleksandr, says he was taken hostage after an emergency landing in central Somalia in January 2024 in territory controlled by the militant group. He describes himself as a “prisoner of war” and urges Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to use diplomatic and political channels to secure his release. 

“We had an emergency in the Middle regions of Somalia and we were forced to make an emergency landing over al-Shabaab territory,” Aleksandr says in the message, addressing the camera directly. He recounts performing medical evacuation flights in support of Somali forces in a major offensive against al-Shabaab from mid-2022 until early 2024, when his helicopter crashed in Al-Shabaab area.

Aleksandr also appealed to U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, emphasizing that the helicopter was operating under the United Nations mandate when it was forced down. “The U.N. has a duty to secure the release of its contractors taken captive during peacemaking operations,” he says in the recording. 

The video marks one of the most prominent public appeals by a foreign captive in al-Shabaab’s custody, a group that has waged an insurgency against Somalia’s federal government and often uses hostage footage to exert pressure on governments and international organizations. 

U.N. and Ukrainian officials have not publicly commented on the video or disclosed whether negotiations are underway for the release of Aleksandr or other captives.

GAROWE ONLINE