Moscow: Russia announced it thwarted an alleged plot by Ukraine and the United Kingdom to hijack a Russian military jet carrying a hypersonic missile, with plans to redirect it to Romania. The Russian government described the incident as a "large-scale provocation."
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) revealed that it had discovered and obstructed the operation, which was reportedly orchestrated by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence in cooperation with British supervisors. The aim was to seize a Russian MiG-31 fighter jet, known for carrying the Kinzhal hypersonic missile.
The FSB accused Kyiv of attempting to recruit Russian pilots by offering them $3 million and the promise of citizenship in a Western country. The plan was to direct the aircraft towards a NATO base in Constanta on the Black Sea, where it purportedly would have been targeted and destroyed by air defenses.
The Russian security services claimed to have disrupted the efforts of the Ukrainian and British operatives to execute this provocation. State media broadcast a video from the FSB, featuring a masked Russian soldier who alleged he had received an email from a Ukrainian intelligence agent soliciting his involvement in the plot.
In response to the alleged plot, Russia reported that its forces targeted and struck a Ukrainian military intelligence center and airfield located in the Kyiv and Khmelnitsky regions.
Throughout its campaign against Ukraine, which began in 2022, Russia has frequently faced sabotage incidents, particularly targeting its rail network. The country has imposed severe penalties on those charged with treason. In a related development, a Russian Mi-8 helicopter pilot defected to Ukraine in August 2023, ultimately leading to his death in Spain in February 2024.