Russia accuses Ukraine of attempted attack on nuclear power plants
The Kremlin has accused Ukraine of planning attacks on high-voltage lines at two nuclear power plants in northern Russia. “Indeed, the Kiev regime’s hostile actions against our country continue,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the Russian news agency Interfax on Thursday. He was commenting on reports by the Russian domestic secret service FSB about the arrest of two men who allegedly wanted to blow up high-voltage lines to nuclear power plants and thus shut down the nuclear plants.
According to the FSB, there was an attempt at sabotage before May 9, when Russia commemorates the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. The perpetrators tried to blow up around 30 high-voltage lines leading to nuclear power plants in the Leningrad region around St. Petersburg and in the Twer 350 region north of Moscow. This should provoke a failure of the nuclear reactors and an emergency shutdown. Two suspected Ukrainians have been arrested and another has been put out for investigation.
The FSB keeps reporting on allegedly foiled terrorist attacks that are said to be the work of Ukrainian saboteurs. Moscow began its aggressive war against Ukraine 15 months ago and, among other things, occupied the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant. Because of the fighting around the plant and multiple shelling, there is great international concern about a nuclear accident.