MOGADISHU, Somalia — Al-Shabaab has released a video showing a Ukrainian helicopter pilot contracted by the United Nations pleading for his freedom, in one of the group’s most prominent hostage appeals involving a foreign national in recent years.
In the footage distributed by al-Shabaab’s Kataib media arm, the pilot identifies himself as Oleynik Aleksandr and says he was captured after an emergency landing in central Somalia in January 2024, in territory controlled by the militant group. Addressing the camera directly, he calls on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres to push for his release.
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“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 video. He describes himself as a “prisoner of war” and says he had been conducting medical evacuation flights in support of Somali forces during a government offensive against the group from mid-2022 until early 2024, when his helicopter went down in an area held by the militants.
Aleksandr further asserts that the helicopter was operating under United Nations authority. “The U.N. has a duty to secure the release of its contractors taken captive during peacemaking operations,” he says, urging U.N. officials and Ukrainian authorities to use diplomatic and political channels on his behalf.
The Axadle Times could not independently verify the location or the date of the recording. Al-Shabaab, an al-Qaida-aligned group that has fought Somalia’s federal government for more than a decade, routinely uses hostage videos to pressure governments and international organizations. The new footage underscores the risks faced by U.N.-contracted aviation crews who support logistics and medical evacuations in conflict zones across Somalia.
U.N. and Ukrainian authorities did not immediately comment on the video, and it was not clear whether negotiations are underway regarding Aleksandr’s case or other captives. The United Nations often relies on private contractors for air operations in Somalia, where difficult terrain, limited road access and security threats complicate humanitarian work and government operations.
Somalia’s government launched an expanded offensive against al-Shabaab in mid-2022, working with local community fighters and international partners to push the group from parts of central regions. Despite gains, al-Shabaab remains entrenched across swaths of rural territory and continues to mount attacks in urban centers, including Mogadishu, while leveraging propaganda to advance its aims.
The video’s release also highlights the opaque nature of hostage situations inside Somalia, where families, employers and governments often face limited information and constrained options. Aleksandr’s appeal — invoking both Kyiv and the United Nations — appears aimed at elevating his case beyond the battlefield dynamics inside Somalia to international diplomatic channels.
Al-Shabaab has previously targeted aid workers, peacekeepers, contractors and government employees, and has used kidnappings in addition to bombings, assassinations and raids to sustain its insurgency. The group’s media arm has periodically published recordings to demonstrate control over captives and to shape narratives around ongoing military operations.
Key details — including Aleksandr’s current condition, exact whereabouts and the fate of any crew members — remain unknown. The release of the video is likely to intensify calls for clarity from both the U.N. system and Ukrainian officials, even as the conflict continues to complicate rescue or negotiation efforts across central Somalia.
By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
