Kanamat Khuseevich Botashev (20 May 1959-22 May 2022) was a Russian major-general who commanded the Russian Air Force's Baltimor airbase in Voronezh Oblast during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Biography[]
Kanamat Khuseevich Botashev was born in Lower Teberda, Karachay-Cherkessia, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union in 1959. He joined the Soviet Air Force in 1981, and he continued to serve in the Russian Air Force until 2013, when he was discharged for crashing an Su-27 while violating flight rules. He returned to military service through the mercenary Wagner Group, and he fought in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. On 22 May 2022, he was shot down by a Stinger missile while piloting an Su-25 attack aircraft over Popasna.