The FSB claimed on its website on Monday that it had thwarted a plot by Ukrainian special services supported by other Western intelligence agencies to hijack a Tu-22M3 supersonic strategic bomber, without producing any verifiable evidence.
According to its announcement which was reported by TASS, Ukrainian intelligence officers had offered an unnamed pilot from Russia’s Aerospace Forces $2 million along with an offer of Italian citizenship to fly and land the missile carrier in Ukraine.
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During its operation, the FSB said it had received information that allowed Russia to carry out a strike on the Ozerne airfield in northwestern Ukraine. However, no details of when the operation to prevent the hijacking or when the alleged strike on the airfield occurred.
The only known attack on the airfield, the base for Ukraine’s 39th Tactical Aviation Brigade, was on Feb. 27, 2022, during the early days of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
In the summer of 2022, the FSB claimed to have prevented a similar attempt by Ukrainian Special Services (SBU) to recruit several Russian military pilots to acquire aircraft including Su-24, Su-34 aircraft, as well as a Tu-22M3 by offering in exchange for financial compensation and the promise of EU citizenship.
In August 2023 Ukrainian Defense Intelligence Directorate (HUR) persuaded a Russian helicopter pilot, Maxim Kuzminov, from Moscow’s 319th helicopter regiment to defect with his Mi8 helicopter from near Kursk to Ukraine. In return for his actions he received $500,000 and a Ukrainian passport in the name of Igor Shevchenko. He bought an apartment in the Spanish town of Villajoyosa where after giving away his location, was shot dead in February by unknown assailants in a parking lot.
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The Tu-22M3, (NATO: Backfire-C) is a long-range supersonic strategic and maritime strike bomber developed by the Soviet Union. It has a maximum speed of around Mach 1.88 (2,000 kph /1,243 mph) at 30,000 feet with a combat range of approximately 2,500 kilometers (1,600 miles).
The aircraft is said to be equipped with terrain-following radar, an electronic countermeasures suite, and a sophisticated targeting system. The Tu-22M3 can be armed with a variety of weapons including Kh-22 and Kh-32 long-range missiles, conventional bombs as well as nuclear capable weapons such as the Kh-15. Its internal bomb bay and external hardpoints can carry up to 24,000 kilograms (53,000 pounds) of ordnance in combination.
Ukraine is yet to comment on the allegations.
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