Secrets for asylum: Former Russian military engineer seeks deal to protect family, per report
Misty Severi
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An unnamed former Russian bomber engineer sought asylum in the United States in December. He offered military secrets in exchange for asylum for himself and his family, according to a Monday report.
The man arrived at the U.S. southern border with Mexico last December. He asked for asylum out of fear that he would be killed for supporting imprisoned Russian dissident Alexei Navalny, according to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection report obtained by Yahoo News.
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The man claimed he was a civil engineer and that “his past employment had included working from 2018 to 2021 in the making of a particular type of military airplane at the Tupolev aircraft production facility in the city of Kazan in west-central Russia,” according to the CBP report. “He described the aircraft type as ‘an attack jet’ and said it ‘was called White Swan-TU160, the largest military aircraft.’”
The White Swan, also referred to as “blackjack” by NATO, is considered Russia’s most advanced strategic bomber, according to the report. It has been used for tactical airstrikes in the Ukraine war. A new construction program for an improved version of the aircraft and upgrades to the plane were allegedly completed in Tupolev while the man was there, the report said.
A military official claimed that if the report is true and the plane can now fire hypersonic missiles, then the Patriot missile system the U.S. has supplied Ukraine is useless.
“It would be a really big deal if the White Swan was retrofitted to fire hypersonic missiles,” the official told Yahoo News. “They are fast and launched from much farther away. We don’t have anything that can defend against hypersonic missiles — meaning, Patriot systems and all the rest of what we are supplying Ukraine, it’s useless.”
In order to be admitted into the U.S. for asylum, CBP must verify a person’s credentials and fact-check their story. If deemed credible, the person is transferred to the FBI for further questioning. The man and his family were approved by Border Patrol on Jan. 11, and they are likely still being interviewed by U.S. officials.
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The disclosure of important military matters in Russia is particularly important as the Russian invasion of Ukraine nears its one-year anniversary.
The State Department issued a warning Monday for U.S. citizens visiting or stationed in Russia to leave immediately, as military leaders fear Russia is gearing up for a major escalation in its war.