The Russian Federal Security Service reported on the 11th that it had foiled a Ukrainian plot to hijack a Russian warplane.
The report stated that the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense’s Main Intelligence Directorate, together with British intelligence agencies, had planned to seize a Russian MiG-31 fighter jet armed with a 'Kinzhal' hypersonic missile. The Ukrainian side attempted to recruit the Russian pilot and promised to pay USD 3 million (approximately RM 12.42 million), asking him to fly the plane to a NATO airbase in Constanța, Romania, where the aircraft could be shot down by air defense weapons.
The report did not specify when the Russian side thwarted the plan, but according to Russian media, Ukrainian and British intelligence began plotting the operation in the autumn of 2024.
Personnel from the Russian security service told Russian media that, under the current international circumstances, if the Ukrainian hijacking attempt had succeeded, it could have led to unpredictable negative consequences.
In addition, according to a TASS report on the 11th, in response to Ukraine, the Russian Aerospace Forces launched 'Kinzhal' missile attacks on the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense's Main Intelligence Directorate electronic reconnaissance center and the old Konstantinov airfield.