Treo awards up to 1 million USD
A Russian intelligence official and pilot - who is believed to be a target of Kiev - shared details about the plot of the Ukrainian spy with RT.
At the beginning of Russia's military campaign in Ukraine, Kiev had made a public list of military equipment, promising to reward those who fled with the equipment. The more complex the weapon, the higher the prize, with fighter jets, helicopters and tanks awarded the highest prize of up to 1 million USD.
As the public appeal for deserters has failed, Ukrainian security agencies have targeted directly Russian servicemen - especially pilots. They have clearly traced and identified the pilots through digital traces they left online - a special assignment of the Russian Security Service (FSB) told RT. Under this assignment, Kiev seems to be particularly interested in Russian Su-34 bombers and Tu-22M3 strategic aircraft.
A Su-34 pilot who was targeted in the plot told RT that he initially hesitated to talk to Ukrainian spies, saying that the promise of $1 million to steal fighter jets and escape to Kiev was a joke. After realizing that his dialogues were serious about the proposal, the pilot notified Russian intelligence to monitor the conversations.
Of course, at first, I considered it a joke, but after a period of talking, it was clear that I was having transactions with representatives of the Ukrainian intelligence agency and their Western partners, the pilot said. In addition, I was promised to have a passport from European countries and a comfortable life abroad.
Ukrainian intelligence clearly believes that the Russian pilots they have come into contact with are ready to commit treason and rob their own fighter jets.
They have such great confidence in the ability to organize a pilots' missions that they have revealed how to arrange defense systems, elevation maps and many other useful information for us, the Russian pilot said, adding that the information gained from Ukraine has been used in the military campaign.
To prove that the pilots were actually able to conduct the attack and had access to specific fighter jets, Ukrainian intelligence has asked them to provide video evidence. The pilots were paid $4,000 to $7,000 per video, which showed them getting into the plane and holding pieces of paper with specific numbers.
Unexpected revelation
Because transactions between Russia and abroad are heavily restricted by Western sanctions, pilots are paid in cash through a complex network. The FSB arrested the suspect suspect who was believed to have hired a money transferee, and the suspect revealed something quite surprising.
The mediator said he received a direct order from Christo Grozev, a Bulgarian journalist and head of the "Russian investigator" of Bellingcat, a controversial US government-funded organization, which was labelled "undesirable" in Russia in early July. Moscow has repeatedly questioned the independence of the investigation team, citing its close ties to Western intelligence agencies.
Grozev... really did not explain anything to me, he just told me the name of the person who transferred the money by train, the suspect accused.
During negotiations with the pilots, Ukrainian intelligence was able to purchase two legal EU passports - one from Slovakia and one from Romania - for the pilots' wives, as collateral for those who would escape.
The FSB special forces told RT that leaving Russia with such documents would immediately turn the pilots' families into hostages of Ukrainian intelligence, as providing, threatening and pressuring relatives had long been the standard practice for them.
It is clear that the campaign itself was carried out with the support of Western intelligence agencies, mainly the UK. We know about the involvement of Grozev and MI6 not only from these statements, the agency said, adding that Ukrainian intelligence has recently stopped covering up its relationship with foreign spies.
Those who will be evacuated are expected to somehow have to deal with their crew members. While the Su-34 has two crew members, the Tu-22M3 has four.
Ukrainian intelligence believes that Russian pilots should drug their teammates with Clophelin (Clonidine) - a drug used to treat high blood pressure and other diseases. However, at high doses, it has a strong sedative effect. High tides can also be fatal.
Since the drug is not readily available in Russia, Ukrainian intelligence is said to have arranged a secret place to exchange the drug. The FSB said it had seized the secret medicine.
As a pilot, I was asked to shoot down my teammate, and what happened to him after that is still unclear whether he will be able to save his life or not, the Russian soldier said.
According to the FSB, Ukraine insists that the escaped crew members will be safe and exchanged as prisoners of war in the future. However, the Russian pilot expressed strong doubts about that.
