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On November 11th, the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB) reported that another operation of the Ukrainian special services aimed at hijacking one of the helicopters of the Russian Aerospace Forces was thwarted.
According to the FSB, the Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine tried to recruit a Russian military pilot to hijack the Mi-8MTPR-1 electronic warfare helicopter but Russian counterintelligence thwarted Kiev’s plan.
Ukrainian military intelligence tried to recruit a Russian pilot via Telegram. According to the plan of the Ukrainian special services, the Russian pilot had to poison his comrades to hijack the helicopter to the Ukrainian territory. If the poison didn’t work, he had to kill them. Information about drugs and dosage as well as all the instructions were sent to the Russian pilot by a contact called Sergei via messenger.
The GUR offered the pilot of the Russian Aerospace Forces $ 700, 000 and Czech citizenship. The family of the pilot should be taken out from Russia through Turkey, Moldova, Poland and Latvia before the flight.
Russian counterintelligence thwarted the operation. They also revealed the positions of the Ukrainian air defense and the locations of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which were revealed during the contact with the Russian pilot and then attacked.
The Mi-8MTPR-1 EW helicopters are equipped with the Russian-made Lever-AV system. The system allows for group protection of aircraft and ground facilities. Obviously, Ukrainian patrons hoped to gain access to these technologies.
This is not the first such operation of the Ukrainian GUR thwarted in recent months. In July 2024, the FSB prevented the Ukrainian special services from hijacking the Russian Tu-22M3 missile carrier. Meanwhile, CBS News reported that Russian pilot Maxim Kuzmin, who hijacked Russian Mi-8 helicopter for Ukraine, killed his comrades but was killed in Spain, was buried in an unmarked grave in southern Spain. LINK This is a clear sign that the Russians do not pardon traitors.
