FSB claims to have foiled the theft of bomber
Russia reports the attempted takeover of a bomber. Ukrainian intelligence services were planning to have a Russian pilot land this bomber in Ukraine as early as 2023. In response, a military airbase was attacked.
The Russian security service FSB claims to have thwarted the theft of a strategic bomber by Ukraine. The FSB stated, "Intelligence services of NATO countries" were involved in the "preparation and implementation" of the plan to take over a TU-22M3 bomber. Accordingly, Ukrainian intelligence services had attempted to persuade a Russian pilot with "financial compensation and Italian citizenship" to land the aircraft on Ukrainian territory.
The named aircraft is capable of nuclear and conventional strikes over long distances. The FSB stated that it had obtained information during the investigation that would have allowed Russian forces to attack a military airbase in Ukraine. In the past few days, Russian forces had attacked Ukrainian military airbases several times.
Ukraine had encouraged the Russian pilot Maxim Kusminov to land his Mi-8 helicopter in Ukraine the previous year. The defector pilot was found dead in Spain in February. Russia is frequently accused of murdering enemies at home and abroad. Moscow denies the accusations.
Ukraine also regularly accuses Russia of recruiting Ukrainians. The Ukrainian security service SBU announced in May that it had uncovered a network of FSB agents who had planned an assassination attempt on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Two Ukrainian officers were arrested in this connection.
- The international community strongly condemned Russia's involvement in the attempted takeover of the Russian bomber, viewing it as a direct attack on Ukraine's sovereignty.
- Russian fighter aircraft were seen patrolling the skies near the Ukrainian border following the attack on the military airbase, as tensions between the two nations continued to escalate.
- The Ukrainian government has repeatedly called for international support in its conflict with Russia, citing the constant threat of attack from Russian military airplanes.
- The FSB's allegations of financial compensation and Italian citizenship offered to a Russian pilot to land a strategic bomber in Ukraine has raised concerns about potential espionage and infiltration in Russian military ranks.
- Following the attack on the military airbase, several Western countries imposed sanctions on Russia, further straining relations between the two nations and increasing the likelihood of continued conflict in the region.
