Vladimir Putin’s spymaster sensationally accused Britain of training Ukrainian saboteurs for acts of “nuclear terrorism”.
Alexander Bortnikov, who has served as the director of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) since 2008, alleged without providing any evidence that members of a Ukraine’s hit squad tasked to sabotage military facilities, oil, transport and critical infrastructure had earmarked an attack at two Russian nuclear plants.
Both the facilities Mr Bortnikov pinned down as potential targets of this alleged group were located in western Russia – the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant and the Smolensk Nuclear Power Plant.
Mr Bortnikov claimed: “In August of this year, the FSB detained members of a Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance group.
“During operational and investigative measures, it was established that the training of saboteurs and the planning of their operations were carried out by members of the special forces of the British armed forces.”
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Speaking during a meeting of the Council of Heads of Security Agencies and Special Services CIS member states (SORB), which comprises pro-Russian ex-Soviet states, Putin’s ally went on to allege: “Such actions of Ukrainian military intelligence and its British mentors should be qualified as nuclear terrorism.”
The claim by the FSB chief resembles an allegation launched by Putin last month.
The Russian president alleged, also without providing evidence, that members of a Ukrainian team caught operating inside his country “admitted” during an interrogation that “they were trained under supervision of British instructors”.
Speaking at an economic forum in Vladivostok, he continued: “Do [the British] understand what they are playing with, or not? Are they provoking our response at Ukrainian nuclear sites, nuclear stations, or what?
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“Does the British leadership, or the Prime Minister [of the United Kingdom] know what their special services are engaged with in Ukraine? Or do they have no clue at all?
“I assume this is possible, too. I assume it is possible British special services act on the orders of the Americans.
“Either way, we know the final beneficiary. But do they realise what they are playing with?
“I am afraid they simply underestimate… I know there will be howling that starts after my words like ‘These are threats!’, ‘Nuclear blackmail!’, and so on.”
While Britain has been one of the closest allies of Ukraine since Putin ordered its invasion in February last year, it hasn’t been directly involved in the conflict, providing instead military and humanitarian aid to Kyiv.
The allegations coming from the Kremlin and FSB came months after Kyiv’s military intelligence chief accused Russia of “mining” the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant – a claim dismissed by the Kremlin.
The plant in Zaporizhzhia, the largest in Europe and one of the 10 biggest in the world, fell into Russian hands at the beginning of the invasion.
Heavy fighting has since taken place in the area, despite warning over security by the UN nuclear watchdog.
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