Russian President Vladimir Putin refused to rule out using fighter jets to hijack a plane out of London and flying it to Moscow.
The Kremlin leader was asked about Belarus dictator Alexander Lukashenko bringing down a Ryanair flight from Athens so he could detain a political opponent.
Putin, speaking at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum, was asked whether Russia would do something similar to Belarus if a wanted person was on board.
Journalist Stas Natanzon asked the Russian president: “Russia has its own list of wanted criminals.
“Would Russia land a plane – let’s take London to Thailand, for example – if a wanted person was on board?
(Image: Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
“The plane from London to Thailand flies over Russia.”
Putin thought momentarily before answering: “I won’t say.”
His answer provoked laughter and applause from his audience and Russian TV presenter Natanzon.
The Russian President also took aim at the new head of MI6, who had described Russia as a “declining power” and criticised the Kremlin’s “reckless” behaviour.
(Image: Stealth Pictures)
(Image: PA)
Putin stressed on Friday evening that Richard Moore is “new” to the role as he suggested the spy chief would “revisit his assessments” of Moscow.
Mr Moore, who became MI6’s “C” in October, described Russia as an “objectively declining power economically and demographically” as he struck out against the Kremlin’s actions.
Asked about the remarks, Putin said: “You said that the new head of MI6 has given these assessments, so he is new and I think he is going to get some experience and he will probably revisit his assessments (on) if Russia is a declining power.
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“So why bother, why be concerned, just live your life and don’t try to spoil the Russian-British relations further.”
Speaking through a video link from St Petersburg, he said the UK and Russia had seen a growth in trade last year, adding: “So if you don’t try to interfere into this process then everything is going to be good.”
In April, Mr Moore spoke of his continued anger about the Novichok attack in Salisbury, in which two alleged Russian operatives targeted Sergei Skripal, a former Russian spy turned double agent for MI6.
(Image: ONLINER.BY/AFP via Getty Images)
And the spy chief highlighted allegations that Russia’s military intelligence agency, the GRU, was behind a blast at a Czech arms factory in 2014, killing two.
“When you get that pattern of reckless behaviour, of course you then look at what is happening around Ukraine and of course it worries us. It is why we have coordinated so closely with our allies to make sure we are getting firm messages back to President Putin,” he told Times Radio.
Mr Moore also said the regime was under pressure as Russia faced a decline.
“Russia is an objectively declining power economically and demographically,” he said.
“It is an extremely challenged place. And clearly the treatment of Alexei Navalny as we saw with the thousands of protesters on the streets of well – not just Moscow – of a number of cities shows that there is a deal of disaffection with Mr Putin.”