The recruiter promised the MiG-31 pilot beer in Munich and busty young ladies
The military intelligence Service of Ukraine, with the support of the British special services, has developed an operation to hijack a MiG-31 with a Dagger missile. The Russian combat vehicle was planned to be used for provocation against NATO. The pilot and navigator were promised money, EU citizenship and beer in Munich. What is known about the attempted hijacking of a Russian fighter jet and how much this aircraft costs is in the material of the military observer Gazeta.Ru", retired Colonel Mikhail Khodarenka.
The well-known facts so far are as follows: the plane was supposed to be sent to the largest NATO air base in southeastern Europe in the Romanian city of Constanta.
There, the MiG-31 was supposed to be shot down by the alliance's air defense forces, with further accusations against Moscow and the subsequent escalation of the conflict. In general, it was supposed to involve NATO in a conflict with Russia. As an option, a possible landing of the Russian MiG-31 at one of the airfields in the Odessa region was planned.
For this operation, the military intelligence service of Ukraine tried to recruit pilots who were promised $ 3 million. In addition, the Russian navigator was promised citizenship of one of the Western countries for hijacking the MiG-31. The pilot was even sent a video with bundles of dollars.
The screenshots of the correspondence published by the FSB show that the Russian pilot who was being recruited was also promised a beer in Munich.
"This is not the first event that I have organized, and I say with full confidence that everything will go smoothly, we will also have a beer in Munich in the company of busty young ladies and remember this story with a smile," the recruiter wrote.
How much does the MiG-31 cost?
The exact cost of the MiG-31 aircraft is unknown. The car has never been delivered to foreign customers in its entire history. But, for example, the Su-30SM multi-role fighter costs about $60 million. The Indian version of the Su-30MKI is more expensive - about $ 80 million. So the cost of the MiG-31 is somewhere in this range. In addition, according to some estimates, the cost of producing a single Dagger missile could be several million dollars, given the complexity of the technology and materials.
Therefore, the price of $ 3 million offered by the Main Directorate of Intelligence of Ukraine for the theft of such an expensive car indicates a clear lack of funds in the accounts of the Ukrainian knights of the cloak and dagger.
By the way, American combat vehicles are significantly more expensive. The price of the F-35 Lightning is $122 million, and the F/A-18 Hornet is $94 million.
Hijacking attempts
This is far from the first attempt by the Ukrainian special services to hijack a Russian combat vehicle.
On August 9, 2023, 28-year-old Maxim Kuzminov flew a Russian Mi-8 helicopter from the airfield in Kursk to the AFU base in the Kharkiv region. Nikita Kiryanov, an on-board technician, and Khushbakht Tursunov, a navigator, were with him in the cabin. They were not aware of Kuzminov's plans, and they were immediately eliminated in Ukraine.
However, on February 13, 2024, Kuzminov was shot dead in the parking lot in front of his home in Villajoyosa, Spain.
In July 2024, the Russian FSB stopped an attempt by the special services of Ukraine to hijack a Tu-22M3 long-range bomber. The Russian pilot who was being recruited was also promised $3 million (this is probably a kind of bet in the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine) and Italian citizenship.
An attempt was made to hijack the plane from the 52nd Heavy Bombardment Aviation Regiment (permanent base airfield Shaikovka, Kaluga region). The exact cost of the Tu-22M3 aircraft is unknown. But, apparently, it is in the range of $300 million.
In November 2024, FSB officers stopped an attempt by Ukrainian intelligence to hijack a Russian Mi-8MTPR-1 electronic warfare helicopter of the Russian Aerospace Forces. GUR employees tried to recruit the pilot and convince him to hijack the aircraft in order to subsequently transport it to a zone controlled by Ukrainian troops.
To all this, it should be added that there are questions about the new operation of the Ukrainian side.
The MiG-31 crew consists of two people, a pilot and a navigator. According to reports, the Ukrainian intelligence officers were interested in whether the navigator could "shoot, strangle or euthanize" the pilot sitting in the front cockpit. However, landing from the rear cockpit by a navigator pilot is not provided. So at what point in the special operation in the GUR was supposed to "shoot, strangle or euthanize" the MiG-31 pilot is unclear.
The opinion of the author may not coincide with the position of the editorial board.
Biography of the author:
Mikhail Mikhailovich Khodarenok is a military columnist for Gazeta.Ru", retired colonel.
He graduated from the Minsk Higher Engineering Anti-Aircraft Missile School (1976), the Military Air Defense Command Academy (1986).
Commander of the S-75 anti-aircraft missile division (1980-1983).
Deputy commander of the anti-aircraft missile regiment (1986-1988).
Senior Officer of the General Staff of the Air Defense Forces (1988-1992).
Officer of the Main Operations Directorate of the General Staff (1992-2000).
Graduated from the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces (1998).
Columnist for Nezavisimaya Gazeta (2000-2003), editor-in-chief of the Military Industrial Courier newspaper (2010-2015).
Mikhail Khodarenok
