“They believed in the possibility of hijacking the plane so much that they revealed the air defense layouts ... and a lot of other information.”

The Ukrainian operation to abduct a Russian military aircraft, thwarted by the FSB, was supervised, among other things, by British intelligence. This was told by the pilots who were trying to recruit.

Representatives of the Ukrainian intelligence service offered them $2 million for the hijacking, as well as European passports for them and their families.

To gain the trust of the Russians, the Ukrainians shared information that they were not allowed to divulge. They asked the pilots to shoot video next to specific aircraft (they wanted to make sure that they really have access to technology).

They also promised a reward for these shots, which were handed over by couriers - recruited girls. Later it turned out that Khristo Grozev, who heads the Internet publication Bellingcat ( a foreign agent), was also connected with the Ukrainian special services.