Ukrainian special services promised $3 million: The FSB of Russia thwarted an attempt to hijack a Tu-22M3 strategic bomber to Ukraine

The Federal Security Service (FSB) of the Russian Federation has thwarted an attempt by Ukrainian intelligence, with the support of NATO countries, to hijack a Tu-22M3 strategic bomber to Ukraine.

This was reported by the FSB’s Public Relations Center (PRC).

“The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation has foiled yet another attempt by Ukrainian intelligence services to carry out an operation to hijack a long-range strategic Tu-22M3 bomber of the Russian Aerospace Forces,” the PRC reported.

According to the FSB, “Ukrainian intelligence intended to recruit a Russian military pilot with a monetary reward and the offer of Italian citizenship, persuading him to carry out the flight and land the bomber in Ukraine.” The PRC added that the involvement of NATO intelligence services in the preparation and implementation of the operation was uncovered.

“During an operational game, Russian counterintelligence obtained information that helped our armed forces deliver a fire strike on the Ukrainian Air Force’s Ozernoe airfield,” the PRC reported.

The Russian pilot was promised $3 million for hijacking the Tu-22M3 long-range strategic bomber. This is evidenced by the published correspondence with a representative of Ukrainian intelligence. According to the correspondence, $1 million was promised by “Ukroboronprom.”

“You’ll get 3 ‘mil,'” the correspondence reads. The FSB video also shows stacks of US dollars.

The pilot was contacted via the Telegram messenger.

“No morality, no ethics. They asked me to set fire to the aircraft. They immediately started with threats against my relatives,” the pilot said in the FSB video.

They also asked him for information about the planes: tail numbers, technical condition, and maintenance schedule.

“I went to my command and told them everything,” the pilot noted. According to him, the interlocutor in the messenger did not hide that he was from Ukrainian intelligence, introducing himself as Pavlo.

“He suggested hijacking the plane to Ukraine. Not just any plane, but a long-range bomber-missile carrier, a nuclear weapons carrier,” the pilot said.

The Tu-22M3 is a long-range supersonic bomber-missile carrier with variable-sweep wings, designed to strike sea and land targets with guided missiles and bombs, and it is capable of carrying both nuclear and conventional bombs and missiles.