Putin's Viktor Belenko Moment Is Surely Coming
Summary
Fifty years ago, Soviet pilot Viktor Belenko defected to the United States by flying his MiG-25 jet to Japan, giving the U.S. valuable intelligence during the Cold War. Recently, several high-profile Russians, including officials and military personnel, have left Russia after Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, causing concern in Moscow about more defections.Key Facts
- Viktor Belenko defected in 1976 by flying a MiG-25 jet from the Soviet Union to Japan.
- Belenko was granted political asylum in the U.S., worked for the government and aerospace companies, and died in 2023.
- Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, several important Russian figures have left the country.
- Anatoly Chubais, a former top Kremlin official and economic reformer, fled to Israel and now works at Tel Aviv University.
- The Russian government has pursued legal cases against Chubais and others who left.
- Gleb Karakulov, a captain in Russia’s secret protective service, defected to Turkey in 2022 after working closely with Putin.
- Karakulov revealed details about Putin’s secure communications and limited access to outside information.
- Young Russian drone warfare specialist Miroslav Simonov defected to Ukraine and joined a Ukrainian intelligence project.
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