MOSCOW, November 12. /TASS/. Russia’s Federal Security Service thwarts a joint plot by Ukrainian and British intelligence to hijack a MiG-31 fighter jet, while Kiev anticipates more weapons supplies from the United States. Meanwhile, the United States moves to partially ease sanctions on Syria. These stories topped Wednesday's newspaper headlines in Russia.
A major objective behind the attempt to hijack a Russian MiG-31 fighter jet equipped with Kinzhal hypersonic missiles for Western intelligence was to obtain classified technology that makes this weapon invulnerable, experts interviewed by Izvestia believe. This, they say, would enable the West’s defense industries to develop a counteraction system and try to build a similar weapon or upgrade their air defense systems. However, news came on November 11 that a Russian counterintelligence agent disrupted the joint operation by Ukraine and Britain’s special services.
The "stuffing" of the Kinzhal missile is of great interest to Western intelligence, mostly in terms of countering its guidance system, Dmitry Kornev, editor of the Militaryrussia news portal, explained to Izvestia.
Exploring how the Russian missile is built would allow Russia's opponents to create a counteraction system and improve their air defense systems, military expert Yuri Lyamin told Izvestia. "If they could study in detail everything that the Russian system is equipped with, it would probably allow them to boost the effectiveness of their air defenses," he believes. The expert noted that in the event of a hijacking, Western intelligence agencies would have gained access not only to the missile, but also to the guidance system in the carrier aircraft.
