Russia foils Ukraine bid to hijack Tu-22M3 strategic bomber, security service says
- Russia’s FSB says Ukraine tried to make pilot defect with strategic bomber to Ukrainian-held territory
Officers of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) blocked an attempt by Ukraine to organise the hijack of a Russian Tu-22M3 strategic bomber, the service said on Monday.
“Ukrainian intelligence intended to recruit a Russian military pilot for a monetary reward and the provision of Italian citizenship, to persuade him to fly and land a missile carrier in Ukraine,” the FSB said on its website.
Reuters could not independently verify the details. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine.
During the operation, Russia received information that helped Russian forces to strike the Ozerne airfield in northwestern Ukraine, the FSB added in its statement.
The timings of the operation and the alleged strikes on the Ozerne airfield in Ukraine’s Zhytomyr were both unclear.
In recent days, Russian forces have carried out several strikes on Ukrainian airbases as Kyiv awaits the delivery of F-16 fighter jets promised by the West.