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Russia foils Ukrainian-British plot to hijack MiG-31 jet armed with hypersonic missile: Report

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 11 November 2025 9:34 AM

Russia's security services say they have successfully prevented a Ukrainian-British intelligence plot to hijack a Russian MiG-31 interceptor armed with a hypersonic missile.

Reporting on Tuesday, the Russian media said the Federal Security Service (FSB) had uncovered the scheme involving Ukrainian and British agents.

Those involved, the reports added, had attempted to bribe Russian pilots with an offer of $3 million and foreign citizenship in exchange for flying the aircraft to a NATO airbase in the Romanian city of Constanta.

The jet, armed with a Kinzhal missile, the FSB said, was intended to be shot down upon entering NATO-controlled airspace to create an international scandal.

"The measures taken have thwarted the Ukrainian and British intelligence services' plans for a large-scale provocation," Russia's RIA news agency cited the FSB as saying.

Russian state television broadcast footage of what it identified as communications and recordings of a man acting on behalf of Ukrainian and British intelligence. The individual was reportedly seen offering both cash and "guarantees of safe passage" to Europe for the pilot.

The MiG-31 is one of Russia's most advanced aircraft. The Kinzhal missile itself is an air-launched ballistic weapon traveling at hypersonic speeds and capable of performing evasive maneuvers, making interception by enemy missile systems virtually impossible.

The FSB described the attempt as further evidence of Western involvement in Kiev's subversive operations against Russia.

Analysts note that such plots highlight London's deepening role in the conflict, with Moscow long condemning Britain for orchestrating sabotage and espionage campaigns aimed at destabilizing Russia and escalating the 2022-present conflict with Ukraine.

The report comes amid Ukraine's increasing dependence on its Western allies for arms, intelligence, and anti-Russian pressure.

The reliance has seen Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky try to solicit notably deeper involvement by the United States through asking Washington for advanced Tomahawk missiles, which the White House has turned down so far.