Ukraine has made a ‘rare’ discovery of rusting British World War Two fighter planes buried in a forest outside Kyiv.
The planes were transported to the Soviet Union by Britain after Nazi Germany invaded in 1941.
According to the BBC, the aircraft were part of a package of allied military support for the USSR.
It was reportedly paid for by the US under the supposed Lend-Lease scheme.
This is the first time the remains of such a large number of Hurricanes have been discovered in Ukraine, according to aviation experts.
Oleks Shtan, a former airline pilot leading the excavation, said: ‘It is very rare to find this aircraft in Ukraine.’
‘It’s very important for our aviation history because no Lend-Lease aircraft have been found here before.’
About 3,000 Hurricanes were sent to the USSR between 1941 and 1944 to assist in the Soviet war effort. Most of them were either demolished in combat or taken apart later for their parts.
Mr Shtan said: ‘The Hurricane was a strong, easy to fly machine.’
Some Hurricanes were purposely taken apart and buried after the war so that the Soviets did not have to pay back the US.
This was the case for eight Hurricanes that were discovered buried in woodland in the south of Kyiv – part of the USSR until 1991.
They had had their instruments, machine guns and radios stripped, and then dragged by tractors from a nearby airfield and dropped into a shallow ravine.
The remains were found recently after an unexploded bomb from the war was found close by. The rest of the ravine was examined using metal detectors and the Hurricanes were discovered.
According to the BBC, The National Aviation Museum has began the process of excavating the site by hand.
Staff at the museum want to identify as much of the aircraft as possible so the historic pieces can go on display.
The head of research at the museum, Valerii Romanenko, said the hurricanes are a ‘symbol of British assistance’ during the years of World War Two, adding that the UK is one of ‘the largest suppliers of military equipment to our country now’.
Just 14 restored hurricanes are believed to be able to fly in the world today.
