NATO Goes to War with Russia, Ukraine Spies Are Just One "Mig" Fighter Away —— And They've Also Targeted the "Kinzhal" Missile
Known Information About the Attempted Hijacking of a Russian MiG-31 Fighter and Its Possible Consequences
Image caption: MiG-31 interceptor
The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) has thwarted a military espionage operation led by Ukraine and its British backers —— the latter attempted to hijack a Russian MiG-31 fighter equipped with the "Kinzhal" hypersonic missile. The target of this hijacking was to provoke the largest NATO airbase. The FSB's Public Relations Center has issued a statement on this matter.
According to the department, "Ukrainian military intelligence personnel tried to bribe Russian pilots and promised them a payment of $3 million." After hijacking the aircraft, they planned to divert it to the southeastern European largest NATO airbase in Constanta, Romania, and then use air defense weapons to shoot it down.
The Russian Federal Security Service stated: "The plan of Ukrainian and British intelligence agencies to organize a large-scale provocation has been defeated through appropriate measures."
It is reported that the attempt to bribe the crew members began in 2024.
A pilot of the MiG-31 aircraft revealed in the "Zvezda" TV program: "In the autumn of 2024, an unknown man contacted me via Telegram messenger, claiming to be a staff member of the international news agency Bellingcat named Sergey Lugovskiy."
He pointed out that after that, this "staff member" sent him his press card and offered to pay for consulting on military-related topics.
The pilot added: "I thought that Sergey's approach was intended to get me into a difficult situation, so that he could later use me for intelligence activities. For example, during one conversation, Sergey mentioned that he would pay me for my so-called 'military secret information', and the money would be transferred to my personal bank account. But I refused to continue communicating with Sergey and developing contact."
Subsequently, the "Russia 24" television station released a recording provided by the Russian Federal Security Service, which included a "hijacking instruction" from Ukrainian intelligence personnel. In the recording, this intelligence officer detailed how to more easily hijack the aircraft, including the height and speed at which the operation should be carried out, and claimed, "It's not that difficult."
From screenshots of chat records published by the Russian Federal Security Service, it can also be seen that the bribers even promised to drink beer together in Munich after the successful operation.
In a message to the Russian pilot, he wrote: "This is not the first operation I have organized. I can be completely sure everything will go smoothly. Afterward, we'll go to Munich to drink beer, accompanied by beautiful girls, and laugh about this experience."
Additionally, he proposed to arrange the relocation of the pilot's parents to a country with comfortable conditions and high medical standards.
After failing to bribe the captain of the MiG-31, the personnel of the Ukrainian Defense Intelligence Directorate (GUR) turned their attention to the navigator. A man who introduced himself as "Alexander" called the navigator, offering a payment of $3 million if he hijacked the aircraft, along with a European passport.
To achieve this goal, the navigator needed to subdue the pilot by poisoning his oxygen mask during the flight. The recruiters also provided a "successful case" as an example, sending a photo of a Russian soldier, Maxim Kuzmin, who had been killed in Spain in 2023 — Kuzmin had once hijacked a Mi-8 helicopter and killed his colleague.
After pretending to agree, the Russian counterintelligence personnel intervened. Over the following year, they conducted secret operations to gather intelligence on the plans of Ukraine and Britain. During this period, the crew of the MiG-31 continued to perform tasks in the special military action area.
The Russian Federal Security Service pointed out that the main purpose of the enemy's operation was to attempt to hijack the MiG-31 aircraft and lure it into the NATO air defense fire range over the Black Sea, thereby shooting it down — this would accuse Russia of attacking NATO countries.
The Ukrainian side naturally denied all of this.
Notably, a similar event occurred in 2022. At that time, the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) attempted to bribe Russian pilots to hijack Su-24, Su-34 fighters, and Tu-22M3 supersonic bombers. Similarly, the other party promised money and European passports as rewards for treason, and the British intelligence agency directly participated in planning the operation.
They originally planned to land the hijacked aircraft at a secret airport in Kanatovo, Kirovohrad Oblast, but the Russian military did not allow the aircraft to arrive, instead firing multiple cruise missiles at the airport.
Dmitry Belik, a member of the International Affairs Committee of the Russian State Duma, commented on the actions of Ukraine and its British backers: "Ukraine urgently needs NATO to intervene in its conflict with Russia. To this end, Ukrainian intelligence agencies are willing to take any despicable and dirty provocation methods, even at the cost of sacrifice."
At the same time, Sergei Gorbachev, director of the Institute of the Commonwealth of Independent States in Sevastopol and a senior reserve naval officer, believes that "the enemy's operation has multiple purposes."
This expert pointed out: "Firstly, they attempted to hijack advanced equipment equipped with unique weapons, in order to study it and develop countermeasures against the 'Kinzhal' missile; secondly, it could create media effect; in addition, it is a provocation against civilians, whose purpose may be unpredictable, but undoubtedly will escalate the military conflict."
What consequences would result if this provocation succeeded?
Regarding this question, the newspaper "Svoboda" (SP) interviewed Alexander Kazakov, advisor to the former leader of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), co-chairman of the Unity Club, and political scientist, whose views are as follows:
"To assess this provocation, we must first look at its ultimate goal. If they plan to use our aircraft to launch a false attack on the NATO base in Constanta, that would definitely be a serious event, without a doubt — this would become the spark that ignites war between Russia and NATO.
Although Europeans themselves have said that they are not yet ready for war and need time to prepare. Of course, people will wonder what they are thinking, but the conclusion is only one: our so-called 'former partners' have lost the ability to assess the consequences of their actions. This is a big problem for us because if the opponent loses the ability to think rationally, we cannot dialogue with them. How do you talk to a madman?
If this were the case, war would inevitably happen anyway. Because they will eventually do something completely unreasonable.
By the way, the plan formulated by British Prime Minister Churchill in the summer of 1945 to launch a sudden attack on the Soviet Army in Europe was also called 'Unreasonable'. It shows that such crazy ideas have long been deeply rooted in their minds."
"Svoboda": Why are they so eager to obtain the MiG-31 fighter equipped with the "Kinzhal" missile this time?
Kazakov: "They may want to seize our hypersonic missile, while the aircraft itself is used for provocation. This is not hard to understand, because in terms of weapon equipment, we have already surpassed the West by two generations. We have just demonstrated the unlimited-range "Sea Sparrow" cruise missile and the nuclear-powered "Poseidon" underwater drone, while the West has not yet possessed hypersonic weapons.
Therefore, their dilemma is understandable. From this perspective, their behavior still has some rationality — intelligence agencies always support their own national military-industrial complex. However, this cold-blooded provocation will undoubtedly bring great risks to the world."
"Svoboda": Do the British really not realize that cooperating with the Ukrainian authorities might push the whole human race toward a catastrophic outcome?
Kazakov: "That's nothing surprising. The so-called Western liberal democratic system no longer cares about the wishes of its own voters.
This is a fact, and they even don't hide it. Remember German former Foreign Minister Baerbock? She publicly stated that she doesn't care about the opinions of German voters and will continue to support Ukraine.
Voters are only objects that they need to pay attention to every few years during elections, and these elections are entirely conducted through manipulation. In this regard, they have indeed reached a high level of 'skill'."
"Svoboda": What do you think the Washington administration will do?
Kazakov: "It is certain that American intelligence agencies — at least the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) — have seen the information released by the Russian Federal Security Service. And I believe that they know it is not a wild rumor, but is supported by solid evidence. Therefore, they will certainly react, but most likely not openly.
You know, the US intelligence agencies are still under the leadership of the president, and the president does not want to start a war. Based on this, we can speculate on the possible reaction of Washington to Britain and Ukraine: it is likely to be reprimanding and trying to make them regain their sanity. But whether this approach will be effective, it remains to be seen."
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7571633997600588314/
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