This was reported by the BBC.
It is noted that at first, the museum's specialists went to the ravine to conduct excavations, as they found an unexploded bomb from the Second World War. However, later, using metal detectors, the workers unearthed eight Hawker Hurricane aircraft, which the UK handed over to the USSR as part of an allied military support package paid for by the US under the lend-lease scheme during World War II.
Aviation experts note that this is the first time that the remains of so many Hurricanes have been found in Ukraine, although, according to them, the UK sent about 3,000 of these fighters to the USSR from 1941 to 1944 to support the Soviet military. Most of them were destroyed during the fighting.
"This aircraft is very rare to find in Ukraine. It is very important for the history of our aviation, because no aircraft under the lend-lease have been found here before," said a former airline pilot who is conducting the excavations.
Some of the planes were dismantled because, according to the laws of the Lend-Lease, the USSR had to pay for any military equipment transferred by the Allies if it remained undamaged after the war. To avoid doing so, the Soviet Union deliberately damaged and hid it.
In particular, tools, radios, machine guns, and other useful scrap metal were taken from eight Uragan tanks found near Kyiv. They were then thrown into a shallow ravine by tractors and covered with earth. Previously, these eight aircraft were used to protect key transport hubs.
Valeriy Romanenko, head of the museum's scientific department, says that the Uragan aircraft played an important role in the history of Ukraine.
"The Hurricanes are a symbol of British assistance during the Second World War, just as we really appreciate British assistance now. The UK is now one of the largest suppliers of military equipment to our country," he said.