(TheIndependentStar.com) – Turning his back on his own country, a former member of the U.S. Air Force defected and now is working as a drone operator for Russia.
According to officials, the Russian Ministry of Defense shared a video on Telegram featuring a man who appears to be Wilmer Puello-Mota.
In the video, he says, “I don’t consider myself a traitor,” and “I love these guys,” referring to the Russian soldiers he is working with.
Puello-Mota, who served in the U.S. Air Force for ten years, is said to have defected in April.
The Telegram post mentions that “A former American citizen, now a Russian serviceman with the call sign ‘Boston,’ is serving as a reconnaissance drone operator in a UAV platoon.”
According to the Telegram post, Puello-Mota explored international politics, decided to visit Russia, and later joined the Russian Armed Forces. He signed a contract with the Russian Ministry of Defense and is now a reconnaissance drone operator entrusted with tough combat missions.
Previously charged with possession of child pornography, Puello-Mota fled the U.S. in January 2024 before his court date. Russian media reports claim he signed a contract with the Russian Defense Ministry and took part in military operations in Ukraine.
At the time, U.S. authorities were unsure if these reports were accurate or if they were part of an elaborate plan to avoid prosecution. He faced a minimum of five years in prison if convicted.
In the video, Puello-Mota criticized the U.S. government, saying, “The United States have done things that are very provocative.”
He added, “It’s been involved in other people’s politics, other nation’s interests. It should not be doing that.” Puello-Mota also commented that, “The country is ran by different people than the people that live in the country and feel a different way.”
Additionally, the video was released amid the ongoing Kursk incursion, now two weeks since Ukraine launched its offensive into Russia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the “primary task” of Ukraine was to “destroy as much Russian war potential as possible” and to create a buffer zone in Kursk.
Puello-Mota referred to the incursion as a “terrorist attack,” adding, “This doesn’t represent the true interest of the American people.”
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