From the screw: The FSB prevented an attempt to hijack a Russian MiG-31

On Tuesday, November 11, it became known that the FSB disrupted the operation of the Ukrainian and Western intelligence services to hijack a Russian MiG-31 with a Kinzhal hypersonic missile. An attempt to recruit a Russian pilot took place back in the fall of 2024. The plane was planned to be sent to the largest NATO airbase in Eastern Europe. Details can be found in the Izvestia article.

Recruitment of a MiG-31 pilot and navigator: what is known

On Tuesday, November 11, it became known that the FSB disrupted Kiev's operation with the support of Western intelligence agencies to hijack a Russian MiG-31 with a Dagger. According to the FSB, the main intelligence directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine tried to recruit Russian pilots, planning to send the MiG-31 to the area of the NATO base in Constanta, Romania, where the aircraft could be shot down by air defense. For this, the pilots were promised $ 3 million, as well as citizenship of one of the Western countries.

Initially, the navigator received a Telegram message from an unknown person who introduced himself as an employee of the international journalistic agency Bellingcat (an undesirable organization in the Russian Federation — Ed.).

"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 to the Russian pilot.

The plan was to recruit a navigator pilot in the fall of 2024, who would poison the pilot by applying poison to his oxygen mask. Then the plane was supposed to go to Romania, and then land at an airfield in the Odessa region. At the same time, the organizers promised to mount a media report simulating an airplane crash and providing a "cover story" for the performer. The navigator refused to cooperate.

The FSB also published a conversation between a Russian navigator and an AFU pilot who joined the scheme later. On the recording, they can be heard trying to convince the Russians that it would be easy to commit an illegal act and even tell them how to land the plane.

The FSB has published a recording of a conversation between the special services of Ukraine and a VKS pilot about the hijacking of the MiG-31

According to Honored military pilot Andrei Gribov, a video from which the FSB cites, the navigator would not have been able to land the MiG-31 he hijacked: "Landing from the rear cockpit (by the navigator pilot) is not provided for in the flight operations manual. Landing is impossible, it will lead to disaster."

This is due to the fact that the aircraft is a two—seater, in the first cabin there is a crew commander, a pilot, and in the second - a navigator. In case of loss of consciousness by the pilot, the navigator can only bring the aircraft into the ejection zone.

As the director of the Institute of CIS Countries in Sevastopol, military expert Sergei Gorbachev, told RIA Novosti, Kiev pursued several goals.: This is both a media effect, and the desire to get modern Russian weapons to develop measures to combat them, and the Dagger missile itself. There were other possible goals, however, they were indisputably aimed at escalating the conflict. At the same time, the expert did not rule out similar provocations in the future.

MiG-31: what is known, characteristics

The MiG-31 is a two—seat interceptor fighter. It is designed to intercept and destroy air targets at low and high altitudes in the front and rear hemispheres in free space and against the background of the earth in simple and difficult weather conditions day and night when the enemy uses active and passive countermeasures.

The aircraft is made according to a normal aerodynamic scheme, with a trapezoidal wing, a two-keeled vertical tail, two D-30F-6 engines in the rear fuselage and a tricycle retractable landing gear.

Main characteristics of the MiG-31:

— length — 22.68 m;

— height — 6.1 m;

— wingspan — 13.46 m;

— the practical ceiling is 20.6 thousand meters.;

— take-off weight -41 thousand kg;

— the maximum speed is 3 thousand km/h;

— combat radius — 720 km;

— the practical range is 2,500 km;

— the practical ceiling is 20 thousand 600 m;

— the crew consists of two people.

Dagger missile system: what is known

For the first time, the creation of the Dagger in Russia became known from a message from Russian President Vladimir Putin on March 1, 2018 with a message to the Federal Assembly. Then he spoke about the existence in the Russian Federation of a "high-precision hypersonic aviation missile system" that "has no global analogues." Already on May 9, 2018, two MiG-31K aircraft with the Dagger missile system took part in the aerial part of the Victory Day Parade in Moscow.

In December 2021, it became known about the creation in Russia of a separate aviation regiment with MiG-31K fighters armed with the Kinzhal hypersonic missile.

The president spoke about the characteristics of the "Dagger" during his speech.:

— the speed is ten times higher than the speed of sound;

— range — more than 2 thousand km;

— the ability to maneuver in all areas of the trajectory, which allows the missile to overcome all air and missile defense systems.;

— Equipping with conventional and nuclear warheads.

The MiG-31 fighter was chosen as the carrier because "it is the most adapted to accelerate this missile to the required speeds at the required altitudes." This was stated by Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Yuri Borisov in the spring of 2018.

NATO base in Romania

In March 2024, it became known that Romania had begun construction of the largest NATO base in Eastern Europe, which could accommodate up to 10,000 military personnel and their families. Its area should be about 2.8 thousand hectares, and the construction cost is € 2.5 billion. The total perimeter of the base is about 30 km.

It is being built on the territory of an existing military facility and is scheduled to be fully operational in 2040.