Russia Accuses Ukraine of Attempting to Hijack MiG-31K Jet Armed with Kinzhal Missile

Russia has claimed that Ukraine tried to steal a MiG-31K fighter jet equipped with a Kinzhal missile.

According to the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation, the alleged operation was thwarted, as reported by the pro-Kremlin outlet RIA Novosti.

The statement claims that Ukrainian intelligence officers supposedly attempted to recruit Russian pilots to assist in the aircraft’s theft.

At first, the pilots were allegedly offered $1 million; later, the amount was increased to $3 million if they handed over the fighter jet and the Kinzhal missile.

In addition, the pilot-navigator claimed that he was allegedly promised citizenship in one of the Western countries.

According to Russian security services, the goal was to use the aircraft to stage a provocation against NATO’s largest airbase on Romanian territory.

The hijacking was planned over the waters of the Black Sea – the idea was to simulate a crash of the Russian fighter jet and thus provide cover.

Threat from the MiG-31K

The supersonic two-seat interceptor in the MiG-31K configuration carries Kh-47M2 Kinzhal missiles, which the Russians have used to strike important military and industrial targets in Ukraine since 2022.

The missile is carried to an altitude of 25 km and, after the aircraft reaches 3,000 km/h, is launched at the target. The carrier aircraft itself remains beyond the reach of even the longest-range air defense systems.

Estimates put the Kinzhal’s range at 1,500–2,000 km (the claimed range is 2,000 km). The missile is fitted with a thick-walled penetrating warhead weighing 480 kg, filled with 150 kg of octogen, equivalent to 240 kg of TNT. It can also be fitted with a nuclear warhead.

In the autumn, the Russians began actively using MiG-31K aircraft armed with Kh-47M2 Kinzhal missiles to strike Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, in particular thermal power plants.