Ukraine’s Plan To ‘Steal’ Su-34 Fighter From Russia Almost Succeeds; Pilot Offered $1M To Defect With His Jet

[Ajaxfever]

True or not true .....

https://eurasiantimes.com/ukraines-plan ... ceeds/?amp

A new report has surfaced that recounts how the Ukrainians attempted to convince a Russian pilot bombing Ukraine to defect with his Su-34 fighter bomber in exchange for $1 million.


Yahoo News interviewed a Ukrainian volunteer, “Bohdan,” who came up with and launched this intricate plan to seize control of Russian Su-34 fighter aircraft.

During the previous summer, a team of Ukrainian volunteers, collaborating closely with their nation’s intelligence agency, allegedly came close to convincing a Russian Su-34 pilot to abandon his aircraft in exchange for a payment of $1 million. The pilot reportedly participated in bombing sorties over Ukraine. 

Thus the Ukrainian volunteer made contact with Roman Nosenko, a Russian pilot who flies Su-34 Fullback and Su-24 Fencer bombers. Bohdan mentioned that one of their most rigorous discussions was with Nosenko, who was the most challenging to converse with.

On April 30, Nosenko wrote, “I will move my family, but what will happen there if this is not a joke? The money is huge. It looks like a scam. What are the guarantees that I will not be scammed? F***, this is like a movie.”

Bohdan received confirmation from Nosenko that he operated the Su-34 Fullback and Su-24 Fencer bombers, which require a crew of two. To verify his claim, Bohdan offered Nosenko $2,000 in exchange for evidence. 

Nosenko provided photographs of his Fencer and, as requested, held up a piece of paper with the number “339” written on it in front of the plane. The Russian pilot also disclosed important information regarding the bombing sorties they conducted over Ukraine. 

Nosenko stated that he had limited knowledge about the targets, saying that pilots only transport the payload to a certain point, after which it functions autonomously. He added that they are not provided with any details about the targets.

Based on Nosenko’s claims that the payload operates on its own, it is possible that they were using standoff munitions such as Kh-59 cruise missiles or Kh-31P anti-radiation missiles. 

He further claimed that the pilots are not briefed beforehand on their operational plans or flight direction. The information is only revealed at the last moment, just before the flight.

The report added that Nosenko planned to drug his navigator, the only other person in the cockpit with him. Nosenko agreed to exit Russian-controlled airspace and fly over his troops at a high altitude before descending over the frontline. His primary concern was the Ukrainian air defenses.

He expressed his fear by saying, “I’ve heard they are handsomely paid to shoot-down planes.” “I would be more confident if I knew at least the areas of their deployment to go around them and start maneuvering on time confidently,” he added. 

The Russian pilot also intended to take his wife out of the country, possibly through Armenia or Belarus. He planned to obtain a new passport there for her with the help of Ukrainian spies and then proceed to one of the Baltic states.

However, the entire plan was discovered by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB). As a result, Ukraine could only obtain critical technical information about the warplane but was unsuccessful in getting the actual aircraft.

Despite the risks, the pilot planned to fly his expensive aircraft into Ukrainian airspace, where Ukrainian interceptors would meet him and provide a safe escort to a designated landing strip, the Yahoo report claimed.

[Stratofreighter]

....the whole story, including names of the pilots concerned, can be found at
https://news.yahoo.com/this-is-like-a-m ... 18349.html

Certainly worth a read!

Last summer, a group of Ukrainian volunteers, working closely with their country’s intelligence service,

apparently came close to persuading three Russian aviators who were in the midst of bombing Ukraine
to defect with their warplanes in exchange for $1 million a piece.

It was a bold, months-long operation, “like a movie,” in the words of one of the Russian marks,
a trio of exceptionally well-trained airmen
who seemed amenable to betraying their motherland for a sum of money they’d otherwise never see in their lifetimes.

We examined hundreds of encrypted chat messages between his team and the three Russian pilots:
Igor Tveritin, 48, Roman Nosenko, 36, and Andrei Maslov, 33.

Their identities were independently confirmed by Yahoo News,
but it’s not clear where they are currently located and could not be reached for comment.

The remarkable level of detail provided by Bohdan
both undermines the Russian recast of the events
while also giving a rare window into how these behind-the-scenes, spy-vs.-spy operations unfold
as Russian and Ukrainian forces batter each other on the frontlines.

Bohdan said his side obtained her call data and found that she had repeatedly communicated
with an officer from FSB’s counterintelligence department.

“We also found out all her girlfriends were hookers
called by the FSB for their ‘special projects.’”

Moreover, she “had been in Barcelona during the time of the Catalan referendum in 2017.
One wonders what, or who, she was doing there.”

https://news.yahoo.com/this-is-like-a-m ... 18349.html

[hammarö]

I am interested of identification of the Su-34s:

Production numbers,

Russian Air Force numbers RF-

And call signs