ROSTOV-ON-DON, October 23. /TASS/. Sergey Potynga, an engineer at the thermal instrumentation and control shop of the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), has been accused of attempting to assassinate employees of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) under the orders of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR), law enforcement agencies told TASS.

"An unidentified employee of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR), acting as the leader of a terrorist group, instructed Potynga to carry out a terrorist attack," the agency source said. "The plan was to detonate an explosive device on May 25-26, 2023, at the Zaporozhye NPP with the intent to cause maximum damage, including the potential deaths of IAEA employees present at the plant. The objective was to discredit Russia in the eyes of the international community, thereby securing increased support and funding for Ukraine's military operations."

Potynga has been charged under several articles of the Russian Criminal Code, including part 2 of article 205.4 (involvement in a terrorist community), part 3 of article 30 and paragraphs "a" and "b" of part 3 of article 205 (attempted terrorist attack), and part 4 of article 222.1 (illegal trafficking in explosives and explosive devices).

The Southern District Military Court, which received the case, specified to TASS that on Thursday, October 24, the court intends to extend the arrest of the defendant and set a date for consideration on the merits.

According to the investigation, Potynga joined a terrorist community organized by the GUR in March 2023. Acting on instructions from his handler, he conducted surveillance on vehicles with access to the Zaporozhye NPP to plan a terrorist attack. Using the Threema messenger, Potynga received details from the handler about a cache containing an explosive device filled with up to 1 kg of TNT, which he retrieved and stored in his apartment in Energodar. In May 2023, he planted the device under the rear right side of a Hyundai IX 35, but the plot was thwarted when the explosives were discovered. Potynga was detained by law enforcement officers in December 2023.