British intelligence is fairly certain that Russia parked two interceptors at a Belarusian airfield. Since these are designed for hypersonic missiles and would therefore not bring any strategic advantage, London suspects a signal behind them – with the West as the addressee.
According to British secret services, Russia wants to present Belarus as an ally to the West in its war against Ukraine. According to a report by the Ministry of Defense in London, Moscow has allegedly stationed two MiG-31 interceptors and a large container protected by an earth wall at the Belarusian airfield Makhulishchi. The ministry published a satellite image from October 17th.
The stationing of the “Foxhound” fighter jet is probably related to Russian AS-24 “Killjoy” hypersonic missiles, which translates to “spoilsport”. According to NATO, these missiles can hardly be intercepted with conventional air or missile defense – hence the nickname.
According to the British, Moscow has been using such missiles since 2018. So far, however, none have been stationed in Belarus. In view of a range of around 2000 kilometers, this probably does not bring any strategic advantage in the Ukraine war, but should rather send a signal to the West.
The British Ministry of Defense has published daily information on the course of the war since the start of the Russian war of aggression at the end of February, citing intelligence information. With this, London wants to counter the Russian portrayal of events and keep allies in line. Moscow speaks of a disinformation campaign.
