Overview
- Russia’s FSB released video and statements asserting that Ukrainian military intelligence tried to recruit MiG‑31 crew members with a $3 million offer and the promise of Western citizenship.
- The FSB claims the plan envisioned flying the Kinzhal‑armed jet toward the NATO hub in Constanta, Romania, to be shot down and used as a provocation.
- Russian state media aired purported messages and audio from an alleged agent, and the FSB described suggestions to kill or poison the jet’s commander and to coach a navigator remotely on landing.
- The agency says contacts began in fall 2024 and that Russian counterintelligence allowed communications to continue to collect evidence, while also alleging UK involvement and citing Bellingcat as a cover.
- Ukraine’s disinformation watchdog and Romania’s foreign ministry rejected the narrative, Reuters said it could not independently verify the claims, and Russian officials leveraged the allegation in messages aimed at NATO allies.