Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) announced on Monday that it had thwarted an attempt by Ukrainian intelligence to recruit a Russian pilot to hijack a Tu-22M3 strategic bomber jet and fly it to Ukraine. The FSB, the main successor to the Soviet-era KGB, stated that the plot included promises of money and Italian citizenship to persuade the pilot.
In its statement, the FSB claimed that the Ukrainian special services were behind the recruitment attempt and that an unidentified “special service of a NATO country” was also involved in preparing and implementing the operation. The Tu-22M3, known by its NATO code name Backfire, is a long-range supersonic missile carrier bomber capable of carrying nuclear weapons and is used to attack sea and ground-based targets.
Video footage released by Russian state news agencies showed the Russian pilot, with his voice disguised and face covered by a helmet, recounting how he was approached by the alleged Ukrainian recruiter via Telegram. The pilot described how he reported the contact to his commanders and explained that the recruiter did not hide his affiliation with Ukrainian special services. The recruiter allegedly demanded that the pilot either burn down aircraft or hijack the bomber to Ukrainian territory.
The FSB stated that through its operative work, it was able to gather intelligence that allowed the Russian military to carry out a strike on the Ozerne airfield in Ukraine’s Zhytomyr region. The exact timing of this strike remains unclear, as the last publicly reported attack on the airfield was in March, with unconfirmed social media reports of recent explosions in the region.
The FSB did not provide details on whether any charges would be pursued against those involved in the alleged hijacking attempt. Independent verification of the FSB’s claims was not immediately possible. However, it is known that the Tu-22M3 bomber is frequently used by Russian forces to attack Ukrainian targets amid the ongoing conflict.
In a statement, the FSB highlighted that this was another attempt by Ukrainian special services to hijack a Russian long-range strategic bomber.
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