Russian helicopter pilot flies more 60 miles into Ukrainian territory before landing and defecting, amid claim two colleagues were ‘eliminated’ and fighter jet parts seized

• The unnamed pilot landed his Mi-8 AMTSh helicopter at a Ukrainian airbase
• He defected after Ukrainian operatives got his family out of Russia, sources said

By David Averre

Updated: 13:59 EDT, 23 August 2023

Rescuers have found ‘five major’ parts of the destroyed Titan submersible which suffered a ‘catastrophic implosion’ 1,600ft from the bow of the Titanic, killing all five onboard.

A remotely-operated vehicle deployed by the Canadian vessel Horizon Arctic found a debris field on the ocean floor which included parts of the submersible’s tail cone and landing frame. 

Authorities said they later learned that the pieces found also included the front and back ends of its pressure hull, which is where the porthole window one of the doomed passengers would have been looking out of when the vessel imploded.

All five onboard – including British explorer Hamish Harding, British businessman Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son Suleman – would have died instantly without ever knowing there was a problem, naval experts say.

Rear Admiral John Mauger, who led the search, said the parts that were found in the debris field were ‘consistent with a catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber’. 

The somber announcement ended a multinational search-and-rescue operation that captivated the world since the tiny tourist craft went missing in the North Atlantic four days ago.

Search and rescue officials say the five men – including French submarine expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet and OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush – likely died on Sunday before military planes using sonar buoys detected what they thought could have been SOS ‘banging’ sounds in the water. 

‘The implosion would have generated a significant, broadband sound that the sonar buoys would have picked up,’ explained Rear Admiral John Mauger of the US Coast Guard at a press conference yesterday. 

It would have been an instant death for the men, some of whom had paid £195,000 ($250,000) each to see the famous shipwreck. 

Aileen Marty, a former naval officer and professor at Florida International University, said the implosion would have happened at 1,500 miles per hour. 

‘It takes more than that – it takes about 0.25 more than that – for the human brain to even realise it’s happening. So the entire thing would have collapsed before the individuals inside would even realise there was a problem,’ Marty told CNN.

‘They died in a way that they didn’t even realise that they were about to die. Ultimately, among the many ways in which we pass, that’s painless.’

The tiny vessel carrying the crew was protected by a pressure chamber, a sealed pod that holds internal pressure significantly higher than ambient pressure, a pressurized gas system to control the internal pressure, and a supply of breathing gas for the occupants. 

Dr. Dale Molé, the former director of undersea medicine and radiation health for the US Navy, said: ‘The pressure hull is the chamber where the occupants reside. It sounds as though they had reached the bottom when the pressure vessel imploded, and usually, when it gives way, it gives way all at once. 

‘It sounds like it was the carbon fiber cylinder that gave way and resulted in the implosion.’

How the pressure chamber was breached remains unclear. But such an implosion could be due to a leak, power failure, or small fire from an electrical short circuit.   

What would have resulted would have been a violent and instantaneous implosion as the high pressure water outside flooded in, wrenching away the rear cover, landing frame, and ripping apart the sub’s hull, crushing those inside.

Molé said: ‘They would have been ripped to shreds. 

‘An implosion is when the wave of pressure is inward, whereas an explosion is when the pressure wave or the shock wave goes out from whatever the source of that is.’

He explained it like blowing up a balloon too much – the balloon will eventually pop when there is too much pressure.

In an implosion, the opposite occurs, when there is more outward pressure than the container can understand, then the insides collapse. 

Molé said: ‘When somebody stands on an empty soda can, it would support your weight, but then if you press on the sides, the can would collapse immediately.’ 

He added: ‘It’s simply where the debris and fragments and everything else goes inward because of a strong external force. In this case, it was the ocean.

‘At least at the depth of the Titanic, which is 12,500 feet, the external pressure would be 6,000 lbs per square inch. It’s that pressure that, if there were a weakness in the hull, would cause the hull to collapse and suddenly creates a shockwave. An implosion can certainly be every bit of destructive as an explosion.’

OceanGate, which has been chronicling the Titanic’s decay and the underwater ecosystem around it via yearly voyages since 2021 that included paying tourists, released a statement calling all five men killed ‘true explorers who shared a distinct spirit of adventure, and a deep passion for exploring and protecting the world’s oceans.’

It comes as it emerged that 19-year-old Suleman, who was killed in the tragic ‘implosion’ was ‘terrified’ about the trip and only joined the crew to please his dead for Father’s Day.

His heartbroken aunt, Azmeh Dawood, told NBC News that Suleman informed a relative he ‘wasn’t very up for it’ but felt compelled to please his father, who was very passionate about the 1912 shipwreck.

The older sister of Mr Dawood, who was the vice chairman of Engro Corporation, reportedly said through tears: ‘I feel disbelief. It’s an unreal situation.’

Azmeh, who like the other anxious relatives was hoping for a miracle, continued: ‘I feel like I’ve been caught in a really bad film, with a countdown, but you didn’t know what you’re counting down to.’ 

She said she ‘personally found it kind of difficult to breathe thinking of them’, adding: ‘It’s been unlike any experience I’ve ever had’.

Nurses will be given paid time away from the frontline so they can attend management courses and boost their chances of landing senior NHS roles.

Steve Barclay has promised to ‘improve the lives’ of nurses by giving them more chance to progress their career and protecting them from violence.

The health secretary’s olive branch comes as more than 300,000 Royal College of Nursing members are being balloted over industrial action with polls closing tomorrow.

Writing for the Daily Mail, he said he ‘deeply regrets’ recent strikes and wants nurses to be properly represented at the top of the health service, so they have more of a say in how it is run and make it a better place to work.

It is hoped the move will prevent more nurses leaving the profession and improve patient care.

Women fill nine in ten nursing roles but fewer than half of ‘very senior’ NHS manager posts, such as chief executives and directors.

Ministers have offered NHS staff – excluding doctors, dentists and very senior managers – a pay rise of 5 per cent for 2023/24, an average rise of 4.75 per cent for 2022/23 and a one-off bonus payment of up to £3,789.

They also promised to make improvements to non-pay issues.

However, while the deal was accepted by most health unions, the RCN rejected the offer and threatened further strikes in pursuit of a double-digit rise.

Pat Cullen, the RCN’s chief executive, has accused Mr Barclay of being sexist and denying her members a larger rise because they are predominantly female.

More than 650,000 appointments and operations have been cancelled as a result of NHS strikes by the likes of junior doctors, nurses and physiotherapists since December, causing waiting lists to surge to a record 7.4million.

Mr Barclay said: ‘Nurses do an outstanding job at keeping patients safe and went above and beyond the call of duty during the pandemic to care for our loved ones.

‘I deeply regret the strike action we have seen in recent months, which has been disruptive for both staff and patients, and I want to work constructively with unions to improve the lives of staff, starting with delivering the pay deal agreed in May.

‘This week I held a meeting with a group of frontline nurses working across the NHS, from intensive care to mental health, to hear directly from them what matters most.

‘The health and wellbeing of nurses is paramount to making the NHS a better place to work.

‘I want nurses to be given more chances to progress their career by better protecting their training time so they can rise to management levels, mentor newly qualified staff, and have a say in how the NHS is run.’

Mr Barclay said he plans to trial body-worn cameras in the health service and use AI to try to reduce violence against staff after figures showed there have been 6,500 sex attacks in hospitals in three years.

He said: ‘Any kind of violence against staff is unacceptable and should never be allowed to happen in the NHS.

‘I want to create a safe environment for staff, through body-worn camera trials and a national violence prevention.

‘I’ve heard first-hand about some of the vile behaviour staff are subject to and have asked the NHS to explore how to improve the quality of the data available on these incidents, including potentially using artificial intelligence to better identify trends, and working with the police to ensure appropriate action is taken, including prosecution to ensure the NHS is always safe for staff and patients.’

The cabinet minister said NHS staff are receiving the pay rise in their pay packets from this month, meaning a newly qualified nurse will see their salary go up by more than £2,750 over two years up to 2024.

He added: ‘This deal is not just about money though and I understand staffing pressures, professional development and workload are all reasons why nurses can feel undervalued.

‘The NHS will soon publish a long-term workforce plan to grow the number of nurses and improve retention.

‘We’re making progress with 44,000 more nurses working in the NHS compared to September 2019 – but I know there’s further to go.

‘I hope RCN members recognise this is a fair deal and decide it is time to bring industrial action to an end.

‘Whatever the outcome of their ballot I will continue to deliver changes and work with the NHS Staff Council to make the NHS a better place to work so staff can provide the best possible care to patients.’

An RCN spokesperson said: ‘The commitment from the government to improve career development – as well as tackling violence and safer staffing – is positive but nursing staff are eager to see clear progress and not more promises.

‘The simplest way to raise standards is with more nurses and yet there are record unfilled jobs – our professionals are concerned over the impact of low pay and stress driving more people out.

‘The RCN will continue this year to campaign for nursing staff and to hold government to its pledges on valuing our professionals, making the NHS safer and improving cafe for patients.’