Overview
- Russia's FSB alleged that Ukrainian military intelligence, with British supervision, sought to hijack a MiG-31 armed with a Kinzhal missile to stage a provocation near Constanța in Romania.
- According to the security service, the plan envisioned the jet being sent toward the area so it would be shot down by air defenses, creating an incident involving NATO territory.
- The FSB said Ukrainian operatives tried to recruit the Russian jet's pilot and navigator with a $3 million offer.
- Following the purported discovery, Moscow said it carried out retaliatory Kinzhal strikes on a GUR electronic intelligence center in Brovary and the Starokostiantyniv air base where F-16s are based.
- Italian reporting emphasized that the allegations and the stated rationale for the strikes come from Russian state security via state media, with no independent corroboration and concerns about information warfare and escalation.