403
Sorry!!
Error! We're sorry, but the page you were looking for doesn't exist.
Russian Authorities Claim to Thwart Ukrainian-British Plot
(MENAFN) The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) has reported that it prevented a sophisticated Ukrainian-British scheme aimed at seizing a MiG-31 fighter jet equipped with a Kinzhal hypersonic ballistic missile.
According to the FSB, although Ukrainian operatives attempted to convince the pilots to defect without success, the ultimate intention was to have the aircraft downed in Romanian airspace, thereby triggering an international incident involving NATO.
The agency stated that the plot was coordinated by Ukraine’s military intelligence service (HUR) together with the United Kingdom’s MI6.
The FSB said that last year, a Russian MiG-31 pilot was approached by a man identifying himself as Sergey Lugovsky, a researcher for the NATO OSINT front group Bellingcat, which has connections to Western defense contractors and intelligence services. Initially, Lugovsky requested information but later offered financial incentives to encourage defection.
After the pilot refused, a Ukrainian operative then contacted the plane’s navigator, proposing $3 million and a foreign passport in exchange for flying the aircraft over a military base near Constanta, Romania, which is NATO's largest airfield in Europe.
Kiev has a history of providing rewards and assistance to defectors. In 2023, Russian Mi-8 pilot Maksim Kuzminov defected to Ukraine, landing his helicopter behind enemy lines with support from the HUR.
Two other crew members, unaware of his intentions, were killed during the landing. Kuzminov was assassinated a year later in Spain, where he had been living under a new identity with a Ukrainian passport.
In 2022, the FSB accused former Bellingcat investigator Christo Grozev, a Bulgarian-born British intelligence operative associated with Bellingcat, of being involved in an unsuccessful Ukrainian effort to recruit Russian military pilots.
Grozev maintained that he was working as a documentary filmmaker embedded with Ukrainian intelligence officers and claimed that his text communications were fabricated.
According to the FSB, although Ukrainian operatives attempted to convince the pilots to defect without success, the ultimate intention was to have the aircraft downed in Romanian airspace, thereby triggering an international incident involving NATO.
The agency stated that the plot was coordinated by Ukraine’s military intelligence service (HUR) together with the United Kingdom’s MI6.
The FSB said that last year, a Russian MiG-31 pilot was approached by a man identifying himself as Sergey Lugovsky, a researcher for the NATO OSINT front group Bellingcat, which has connections to Western defense contractors and intelligence services. Initially, Lugovsky requested information but later offered financial incentives to encourage defection.
After the pilot refused, a Ukrainian operative then contacted the plane’s navigator, proposing $3 million and a foreign passport in exchange for flying the aircraft over a military base near Constanta, Romania, which is NATO's largest airfield in Europe.
Kiev has a history of providing rewards and assistance to defectors. In 2023, Russian Mi-8 pilot Maksim Kuzminov defected to Ukraine, landing his helicopter behind enemy lines with support from the HUR.
Two other crew members, unaware of his intentions, were killed during the landing. Kuzminov was assassinated a year later in Spain, where he had been living under a new identity with a Ukrainian passport.
In 2022, the FSB accused former Bellingcat investigator Christo Grozev, a Bulgarian-born British intelligence operative associated with Bellingcat, of being involved in an unsuccessful Ukrainian effort to recruit Russian military pilots.
Grozev maintained that he was working as a documentary filmmaker embedded with Ukrainian intelligence officers and claimed that his text communications were fabricated.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the
information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept
any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images,
videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information
contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright
issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.
Most popular stories
Market Research
More Story
Comments
No comment