The Federal Security Service (FSB), Russia’s main security agency, recently claimed to have thwarted an attempt by Ukrainian special services to attack its non-operational aircraft carrier, Admiral Kuznetsov. Earlier, there were reports that Kyiv attempted to steal a Russian Tu-22M3 nuclear-capable strategic bomber.
Air Marshal Anil Chopra (Retd) noted, “Such scenarios are always possible.” “During the Soviet era, there were disgruntled pilots who flew operational aircraft to enemy bases, providing substantial intelligence. Similar events occurred during World War II when German pilots ordered Western pilots to defect and provide critical information,” he explained.
Espionage & Defections In Ukraine-Russia War
Since 2022, both Russia and Ukraine have reported multiple incidents involving aircraft hijacking attempts, defections, and smuggling of aircraft parts:
The Bellingcat Affair: In July 2022, the Russian FSB made a similar claim that it had thwarted a sophisticated plot by Ukrainian spies to hijack several military jets. The FSB sensationally alleged that a leading figure from the US-government-funded investigative organization Bellingcat, which describes itself as a journalistic group, was involved in the scheme, which was purportedly “supervised by NATO intelligence agencies.”
The FSB specifically accused British operatives of involvement, stating that Russian pilots were promised EU passports and substantial cash rewards to participate in the plot. In the summer of 2022, the FSB released materials indicating that the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, under the supervision of NATO intelligence services, was planning an operation to hijack Russian military aircraft.
During the counter-operation, Russian counterintelligence obtained information that allowed the Armed Forces to destroy several Ukrainian military facilities.
Illegal Sale of Military Components: In December 2023, the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) successfully stopped the illegal sale of aircraft components, including ten aircraft pumps, two starter generators, and 1,000 additional parts, which had been stolen from a Ukrainian enterprise and were intended for Russian military interests. The stolen components, specifically for MiG-29 multi-purpose fighters, were valued at over Hrv10m ($268,000).
The Parts Smuggling Ring: In October 2023, Ukraine’s Security Service (SSU) disrupted two transnational smuggling networks engaged in the illicit export of military aircraft components.
Through a coordinated operation across multiple regions, the SSU intercepted the unlawful transfer of MiG-29 fighter aircraft components, arresting three dealers who were trying to sell stolen spare parts to Asian buyers. Concurrently, another smuggling operation involving components for Mi-8 helicopters was uncovered in the Kirovohrad region in Ukraine.
The Mossad-Inspired Heist: In August 2023, Ukraine showcased a Russian Mi-8 AMTSh helicopter allegedly hijacked in an operation inspired by Mossad. The helicopter, which landed at the Poltava military air base in Kharkiv under the command of Major General Kyrylo Budanov, is an armored assault variant of the Mi-8AMT used for transporting troops and cargo. It is equipped with ground-attack weapons and designed for nighttime and all-weather operations.
Russian Ill-Fated Defector: In September 2023, Maxim Kuzminov, a 28-year-old Russian pilot, defected to Ukraine by flying a Mi-8 helicopter in a joint operation with Ukrainian intelligence.
Andriy Yusov, spokesperson for Ukraine’s military intelligence, announced that Kuzminov would be rewarded with half a million dollars for switching sides and bringing Russian military equipment with him.
Yusov also urged other Russian military personnel to consider defecting to Kyiv. In February 2024, Maxim Kuzminov was found dead in Spain, reportedly from gunshot wounds. The announcement came from Andriy Yusov, spokesperson for Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate, on February 19.
The Ukrainian Tankman’s Turnabout: In June 2024, former Ukrainian tankman Maxim Likhachev made headlines after receiving Russian citizenship following his surrender with a T-64 tank near Donetsk. Likhachev voluntarily surrendered to Russian troops in late May near Donetsk and hijacked his T-64 tank. The tank man was born in Krasnodon, a town in the Lugansk People’s Republic.
Terror Attack’ On Admiral Kuznetsov Aircraft Carrier: The FSB reportedly foiled an attempt by Ukrainian military intelligence to attack Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier in March this year, but was reported on 10th July. Fully story can be read here.
The recurring nature of these incidents suggests an ongoing cat-and-mouse game between the two nations’ intelligence services, with each side trying to undermine the other’s military while protecting its assets.
When Russian Pilot Defected With World’s Fastest Fighter Aircraft
Lieutenant Viktor Ivanovich Belenko was a Russian pilot with the Soviet Air Defense Forces who defected to the West on September 6, 1976, by flying the “world’s fastest” MiG-25 Foxbat to Hakodate Airport in Japan.
The Soviet Air Defense Force was an aerial branch but a little different from the Soviet Air Force. The members of this unit were elite and entrusted bunch, which meant that the defecting pilot also enjoyed significant trust with the government. He was so trusted that when Belenko’s blood pressure spiked on the morning he intended to flee, the flight surgeon believed Belenko when he insisted he was not anxious.
Lieutenant Viktor Ivanovich Belenko was training on the brand-new MiG-25 supersonic interceptor jet. While Western analysts had not yet had a chance to examine a real “Foxbat,” they believed it to be a massive challenger to NATO fighter jets.
Robert Seamans, the Secretary of the Air Force, had referred to the MiG-25 as “probably the best interceptor in production in the world.”
The 29-year-old Belenko played a gamble and predicted that the US would seek to acquire a Foxbat. He intended to deliver one in exchange for refuge in the US.
However, because the plane used fuel at an alarming rate, it could not travel from Chuguyevka to an air base in the US or Canada. That’s how Japan became the chosen destination.
On September 6, 1976, Belenko and his squadron snuck into position. He performed a standard circuit but didn’t turn around as per the flight plan at the far end of the journey. Instead, he carried on. He gradually dropped altitude to 19,000 feet. He abruptly launched the Foxbat into a steep dive.
He sped along at that altitude where he couldn’t be seen on radar. The other pilots followed Belenko in his squadron, but Belenko had a good lead. As he was about to enter Japanese airspace, Belenko started making himself known to Japanese radar with a series of pop-ups and descents to avoid being shot down.
The Foxbat guzzled fuel at an astonishing rate. The fighter’s fuel supply was critically deficient. Miraculously, Belenko spotted an airfield—with a civilian 727 jetliner heading directly toward him.
“He jerked the MiG into the tightest turn of which it was capable, allowed the 727 to clear, dived at a dangerously sharp angle, and touched the runway at 220 knots. As he deployed the drag chute and repeatedly slammed down the brake pedal, the MiG bucked, bridled, and vibrated as if it were going to come apart. Tires burning, it screeched and skidded down the runway, slowing but not stopping.
“It ran off the north end of the field, knocked down a pole, plowed over a second, and finally stopped a few feet from a large antenna 800 feet off the runway. The front tire had blown, but that was all,” according to an excerpt from a biography of the pilot written by John Barron MiG Pilot, The Final Escape of Lieutenant Belenko, published in 1980.
Before the aircraft was disassembled and shipped back to the USSR in 30 crates, the Japanese government restricted US access out of concern for its relations with the Soviet Union. But Belenko remained in the West and was eventually granted asylum after months of debriefing organized by the CIA.
Belenko was not the first pilot to flee the Soviet bloc or even the only one to do so from the Soviet Union. However, it is believed that he might have been aware of the US government’s practice of rewarding communist pilots who defect with significant monetary awards.
With Belenko’s defection, many mysteries were unraveled to the West because this was the first opportunity for Western military intelligence to analyze the aircraft and its specifications closely.
President Gerald Ford of the United States granted Belenko asylum, and a trust fund was established for him, ensuring him a very comfortable lifestyle in his final years. After his defection, the US government briefed him for five months before hiring him as a consultant. Belenko carried the MiG-25 pilot’s manual with him because he planned to help US pilots evaluate and test the aircraft.
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