U.K.-Ukrainian plot to steal jet, missile thwarted by Russian security: Report

Russian security officials this week said they thwarted an attempt by British and Ukrainian intelligence services to steal a MiG-31 jet armed with the Kinzhal hypersonic missile and fly it to a NATO airbase in Romania.

If it had succeeded, the mission would have given the West access to the “secret technologies” that make the Kinzhal invulnerable to any air defense system, the state-owned Izvestia newspaper said Tuesday.

Moscow claims the British-Ukrainian operation involved recruiting Russian pilots with an offer of $3 million and citizenship in the West to steal a Mikoyan MiG-31 supersonic interceptor jet.

The scheme is reminiscent of “Firefox,” a 1982 Clint Eastwood movie in which he played a former Air Force fighter pilot recruited by the CIA to steal a high-tech Russian plane.

The MiG-31 at the center of the British-Ukrainian mission is identified in the West by its NATO designation Foxhound.

Russian military journalist Dmitry Kornev told Izvestia that the West wants a MiG-31 so it can understand its guidance system and counteract it.

“The rocket itself is also of interest: the body, materials and engine. In addition, they are interested in homing, satellite navigation and an inertial control system,” Mr. Kornev said.

Russian media did not provide specific details of the allegedly foiled mission, including when it occurred and whether any arrests were made.

“In the current international situation, it is clear that this could lead to difficult-to-predict negative consequences,” Izvestia said, citing Russian security officials.

While Moscow insists Western air defense systems can’t intercept a Kinzhal missile, Ukraine has reported multiple successful intercepts using the U.S.-provided Patriot missile.