FSB claims to have foiled the theft of supersonic bomber
Russia reports attempted hijacking of a bomber. Ukrainian intelligence services were planning to lure a Russian fighter pilot into landing the plane in Ukraine since 2023. In response, a Russian Air Force base 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 seize a TU-22M3 bomber. Ukrainian intelligence services were reportedly trying to bribe a Russian pilot with "financial compensation and Italian citizenship" to land the aircraft on Ukrainian territory.
The faster-than-sound Tu-22M3 is capable of delivering nuclear and conventional strikes over long distances. The FSB stated that they obtained information during the investigation that allowed Russian forces to attack a Ukrainian Air Force base. Russian forces have repeatedly attacked Ukrainian Air Force bases in the past few days.
Ukraine had previously persuaded the Russian pilot Maxim Kusminov to land his Mi-8 helicopter in Ukraine. The defected pilot was found dead in Spain in February. Russia is frequently accused of killing enemies at home and abroad. Moscow denies the allegations.
Ukraine also regularly accuses Russia of recruiting Ukrainians. The Ukrainian security service SBU announced in May that they had uncovered a network of FSB agents planning an assassination attempt on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Two Ukrainian officers were arrested in connection with the case.
- The attempted hijacking of the Russian fighter aircraft was a significant point of contention in the ongoing politics surrounding the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
- The Russian Air Force responded to the alleged plot by carrying out an attack on an Ukrainian Air Force base, as information gathered by their military intelligence indicated.
- Amidst these tensions, rumors circulated about Russian secret services attempting to bribe Ukrainian airplane pilots to facilitate landings in Ukraine, as was reportedly done with the Mi-8 helicopter in the past.
- In the midst of the Ukraine conflict, Russia continues to deny accusations of killing critics both at home and abroad, following the death of the defector pilot Maxim Kusminov in Spain.
- The Ukrainian secret services have frequently accused Russia of recruiting Ukrainian individuals into their intelligence operations, as evidenced by the uncovered assassination plot against President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in May.
