Three MiG-29 fighter jet equipment smugglers apprehended in major sting — SBU

The components were previously stolen from the Motor Sich company, the SBU said.

The scheme’s mastermind, identified as a businessman from Kharkiv, was responsible for offering aviation spare parts to potential foreign buyers through online platforms, according to the investigation.

The SBU, in collaboration with counterintelligence, apprehended the main suspect and two accomplices during a comprehensive operation in Kyiv, Odesa, Kharkiv, and Zaporizhzhya.

The culprits sought to illegally sell a batch of aircraft engine components to Asian buyers for nearly UAH 2.5 million, with indications that these components had been previously stolen from Motor Sich.

“Planning to transport the products to foreign clients, the perpetrators intended to take them out of Ukraine while evading customs controls,” noted law enforcement officials.

A group attempted to smuggle a radar block for the MiG-29, used for aircraft identification via the IFF system (“friend-or-foe”).

One suspect was caught in Odesa Oblast trying to transport aviation products to East Asia through Transnistria, concealed in hidden compartments in their vehicle.

Searches uncovered a substantial amount of Ukrainian aviation equipment. All three suspects face charges for violating international goods transfer procedures subject to export control. They face up to three years in prison if convicted.