Press
Claim from Moscow: The Ukrainians are allegedly trying to persuade a Russian fighter pilot and a supersonic bomber to defect. In vain.
Moscow – It is one of those stories from Russia that should be viewed with caution in the bloody war in Ukraine. According to the Russian secret service FSB, the Ukrainian secret service allegedly wanted to persuade a fighter pilot from the Moscow regime to defect. According to information from the Russian capital, the pilot was supposed to land a Tupolev Tu-22M supersonic bomber at a Ukrainian air base and thus pass secret weapons technology to the Ukrainian armed forces and the NATO defense alliance.
The Russians’ information cannot be independently verified, and Kyiv has not yet (as of July 8, 5:30 p.m.) commented on the report from the Russian Federation.
Alleged “hijacking” of Russian supersonic bomber: Moscow shares photos
Russian state media, however, published photos showing the pilot who was allegedly the target with a Tupolev Tu-22M. The FSB also published photos of a mountain of cash that was allegedly used to persuade the Russian fighter pilot to defect. Russian military bloggers also shared screenshots of alleged correspondence between the Ukrainians and the Russian pilot on social media such as X (formerly Twitter).
It is not known whether the alleged incident was staged by the autocratic regime of Kremlin ruler Vladimir Putin. Nor is it known whether the Russians specifically accuse the Ukrainian domestic intelligence service SBU or the Ukrainian military intelligence service HUR of the alleged hijacking of a fighter bomber. As the independent opposition The Moscow Times (MT) reported, Putin’s secret service said on Monday (July 8): “The FSB has stopped another attempt by the Ukrainian secret service to carry out an operation to hijack the Tu-22M3 long-range strategic bomber.”
Weapons in the Ukraine war: Kiev receives F-16 fighter jets from the Netherlands
The FSB further claimed that “intelligence services of NATO countries” were allegedly involved in the “preparation and implementation” of the plan to hijack the TU-22M3 supersonic bomber, but no concrete evidence was provided. The Ukrainians allegedly tried to persuade the Russian fighter pilot to land the fighter plane on Ukrainian territory by offering him “financial compensation and Italian citizenship.” Instead, he allegedly bombed a Ukrainian air base, which also cannot be independently verified.
What is striking is that while the Netherlands have announced the rapid delivery of F-16 fighter jets to the Ukrainians, reports of alleged Russian defensive measures in the air are increasing. The Russian armed forces have not only repeatedly attacked Ukrainian military airfields, but have also apparently moved Putin’s most modern air defense system, the S-350 Vityaz, into the combat zone in Ukraine. (pm)
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