With the escalation of the war in Ukraine, many Russian civilians have vocalised their anti-war sentiments, despite the risk of being penalised.

In one such incident, a Russian pilot expressed his opposition to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine while addressing passengers during a flight.

In the first 20 seconds of the 33-second video, the pilot speaks in Russian amidst some applause from the passengers, before speaking in English. The unidentified pilot can be heard saying in English, “Dear customers, this is your captain speaking. I’m speaking on behalf of myself and not as a representative of the airlines. I think the war in Ukraine is a crime.” He then adds, “We should not continue this war and stop it immediately. Don’t create this bloodshed. Thank you for your time.”

A Russian pilot tells passengers that he believes “the war in Ukraine is a crime,” adding “I think each sensible citizens will agree with me and will do everything to make it stop.” Rare to see public opposition to the war given the consequences such a statement will have pic.twitter.com/55h18mWI9U

— Pjotr Sauer (@PjotrSauer) March 11, 2022

Pjotr Sauer, a freelance journalist based in Moscow who writes for publications such as The Guardian, shared this video. Sauer wrote, “A Russian pilot tells passengers that he believes ‘the war in Ukraine is a crime,’ adding ‘I think each sensible citizen will agree with me and will do everything to make it stop.’ Rare to see public opposition to the war given the consequences such a statement will have.” Sauer’s tweeted video has been seen over 2.2 million times.

This pilot has lots of courage to say this and on camera. He’s done well for believing in the truth & condemning the killings in Ukraine, but he might loose his job & freedom if he goes back to Russia. Putin is proving a point with this war: SUPREMACY AND POWER TO RULE ALL https://t.co/hgkQBKUIxq

— Martins Chima (@SirMartinsChima) March 13, 2022

Yes, there are many Ukrainians and Russians who show immense courage, including the women of Ukraine who have stayed to defend their homeland, and Russian troops who refuse to partake in such hideous crimes, and pilots like this man:https://t.co/9vSQPZlyIo

— Richard (@oldpelion) March 13, 2022

People leaving skeptical comments obviously don’t know that according to the new law just tweeting ‘no to war’ is a crime in Russia. Even if it’s a staged video, the man is at risk. He can be IDed, detained & taken to court, not even mentioning the risk of losing his job.

— Dr Olga Andreevskikh 💙💛 (@OAndreyevskikh) March 11, 2022

That is a strong man. Ukrainians I speak to know there’s people like him in Russia and don’t blame all of the people. The war needs to stop. Nobody wins

— Artur (@artur_sand) March 11, 2022

I used my phone to translate what it could pick up. pic.twitter.com/a2p6sOErSD

— Dr Robin 🇺🇦 🗽 (@Robinindfw) March 11, 2022

He’s telling passengers in the beginning that the plane has successfully landed in Antalya, Turkey. I wonder if he returns to Russia

— This fire is out of control (@Competitore) March 11, 2022

Olexander Scherba, a Ukrainian diplomat, also shared the video and translated the initial few lines of the pilot’s speech. According to Scherba’s tweet, the pilot works for Pobeda, a subsidiary of Aeroflot, the largest airline in Russia.

“Ladies and gentlemen, here is your captain speaking. Welcome to Antalya. Thank you for flying with “Pobeda”. Also, from me personally: the war with Ukraine is a crime…”.

This brave 🇷🇺 pilot makes a statement. #StandWithUkraine️ pic.twitter.com/rzUo1BBIP2

— olexander scherba🇺🇦 (@olex_scherba) March 11, 2022

Before this, Gennady Isaakovich Stern, an aviation veteran from Russia, requested pilots working in the Russian Air Force to “stop bombing and shelling Ukrainian territory from the air.”

The video of his plea was shared by the verified Facebook page of Ukraine’s Command of the Air Force of the Armed Forces.