According to the military statement, the Russian armed forces launched Kinzhal hypersonic missiles against the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense’s Main Electronic Intelligence Center in the Kyiv region and against the Starokonstantinov airbase, where F-16 fighter jets are stationed, in response to provocations by the Ukrainian military.

Hours earlier, the Federal Security Service (FSB) reported that it thwarted an operation by Ukrainian and British intelligence services to steal a Russian MiG-31 fighter jet equipped with a Kinzhal hypersonic missile, intending to use it in a provocation against NATO’s largest air base in Romania.

To steal the aircraft, Ukrainian military intelligence agents attempted to recruit Russian pilots, promising them three million US dollars.

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