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Failed MiG-31 Hijack Plot: Ukrainian Intel Stuck to Western Political Directives

Sputnik News

20251111

Earlier on Tuesday, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) said that it had thwarted an operation by Ukrainian military intelligence and its UK handlers to hijack a Russian MiG-31 fighter jet armed with a Kinzhal hypersonic missile.

First and foremost, Ukrainian intelligence planned to capture Russia's advanced weapon system, military expert Sergey Gorbachev told Sputnik, commenting on the botched Ukraine-UK attempt to hijack a Russian MiG-31 jet armed with a Kinzhal hypersonic missile.

He didn't rule out that the perpetrators planned a provocation involving the MiG-31 to simulate an attack on Romania or Bulgaria, both NATO members. Gorbachev also pointed to a possible media effect related to the scenario of a Russian pilot becoming a traitor and being used for nefarious purposes.

"So, it was a multifaceted operation that could have caused not only reputational damage to Russia, but also serious security consequences. A provocation imitating a combat strike against a NATO country would have obvious and easily predictable repercussions," the expert underscored.

He added that it is only natural that the UK's MI6 was involved, as the Ukrainians "could not have planned, organized, and carried out such an operation all by themselves."

Gorbachev was echoed by political analyst Vasily Belozerov, who said Ukraine's failed plot-related goals were crystal clear: first, show that Russia is allegedly vulnerable, second, make Ukraine look like it is still capable of countering Russia, and third, mislead into believing that there are unreliable Russian servicemen.

"All these purposes are provocative, and any reasonable person understands that each and every Russian serviceman remains loyal to the oath of allegiance," the analyst emphasized.

When it comes to Ukrainian intelligence, it is "not independent and operates under political directives from abroad, following instructions that come from outside Ukraine as part of the West's confrontation with Russia," Belozerov concluded.

© Sputnik