They then exploited severe software vulnerabilities to trick the Russian air defense crew - deployed to protect Moscow - into misidentifying their own high-tech fighter as a hostile threat, triggering the fatal launch.
This unprecedented operation resulted in the complete destruction of a russian Su-57 stealth fighter jet valued at over $100 million.
While the Russian Ministry of Defense publicly attributed the crash to a 'technical failure', Russian military channels and pro-war media quickly confirmed that the jet fell victim to friendly fire.