Russia detains two Ukrainians over plot to bomb power lines

● And US spy agencies believe Kyiv operatives were behind Kremlin drone attack, New York Times reports

Russia’s internal spy agency said yesterday it had detained two Ukrainian saboteurs plotting to blow up the power lines of two nuclear power stations to shut down the reactors and embarrass Russia on the eve of this month’s Victory Day.

The Federal Security Service (FSB), the main successor to the Soviet-era KGB, said that the saboteurs working for Ukrainian foreign intelligence had laid explosives on a total of 11 pylons of the Leningrad and Kalinin nuclear power stations.

“The plan of the Ukrainian special services was to prompt the shutdown of the nuclear reactors, disrupt the operation of the nuclear power plants and cause serious economic and reputation damage to the Russian Federation,” the FSB said in a statement.

The attacks were due to take place on the eve of the May 9 anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany, the FSB said. It did not say when the men had been arrested.

The Leningrad station is Russia’s biggest atomic power plant. It is located on the Gulf of Finland close to St Petersburg. The Kalinin nuclear power station is 350km north of Moscow.

The FSB said the saboteurs were recruited last year by Ukraine’s foreign intelligence service (FISU) and received special training at camps in Kyiv and the Mykolaiv region.

They entered Russia via Poland and Belarus.

Two Russian accomplices were also detained.

The explosives — including 36.6kg of C-4 plastic explosives, 61 detonators and 38 timers — came via Poland, Lithuania and Belarus, the FSB said.

“The defendants have confessed to co-operating with the foreign intelligence service of Ukraine to prepare and commit sabotage on the territory of Russia,” the FSB said.

● Meanwhile, the New York Times said US intelligence agencies believed that a drone attack on the Kremlin this month was likely orchestrated by Ukrainian spies or military intelligence.

It said the attack appeared to be part of a series of covert operations that have made officials in the US — Ukraine’s biggest supplier of military equipment — uncomfortable.

The US assessment was based on intercepted Russian and Ukrainian communications, the paper said.

The US intercepted Ukrainian conversations in which officials said they believed their country was responsible for the attack, and also tapped into Russian communications which indicated it was not some sort of false-flag operation by Russia.

“We immediately said that the Kyiv regime was behind this,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said when asked about the report.

“In the end, it doesn’t make much difference which of the units of the Kyiv regime was behind this.

“The Kyiv regime was behind this, we know this ... and we shall proceed from this as we go forward.”

US officials said they did not believe Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed off on all covert operations, the paper said.

Russia accused Ukraine of trying to kill Russian President Vladimir Putin in the attack.

Zelensky promptly denied any Ukrainian involvement.

A Ukrainian presidential aide played down the media reports and said Ukraine had nothing to do with the “strange and pointless” drone attack on the Kremlin. —