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‘Another hostile act by Kiev’: Kremlin on sabotage attempts on Russian nuke power plants

Speaking of how the saboteurs managed to infiltrate Russia and which measures could be taken in reaction to this, Dmitry Peskov suggested that the press address such inquiries to the relevant agencies

MOSCOW, May 25. /TASS/. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov branded attempted attacks on Russian nuclear power plants as a continuation of "hostile actions" by the Kiev regime, noting that Russian law enforcement is engaged in fighting terrorists.

"Indeed, this information has become public knowledge. Hostile actions against our country by the Kiev regime continue as does the special military operation," the Kremlin official said on Thursday, replying to a question about reports of attempted sabotage against Russian nuclear power facilities. He noted that responsibility for the attempted attacks rests with those terrorists "who were perpetrating this while law enforcement is battling these terrorists."

Speaking of how the saboteurs managed to infiltrate Russia and which measures could be taken in reaction to this, Peskov suggested that the press address such inquiries to the relevant agencies. "These are questions for the special services, in this case, the FSB," he said.

As the Russian Federal Security Service’s (FSB) Public Relations Center told TASS earlier, on the eve of May 9, Victory Day, an attempt by Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SZRU) to commit sabotage at two nuclear power plants (NPPs) in the Leningrad and Tver regions of Russia was thwarted. The FSB noted that an attempt was made to blow up over 30 pylons of high-voltage electric power lines which, as plotted by the Ukrainian secret services, would have shut down nuclear reactors, disrupted the regular operations of nuclear facilities and caused serious economic and reputational damage to the Russian Federation. The terrorists managed to blow up one pylon and plant mines around four pylons of the Leningrad NPP’s high-voltage electric power lines as well as plant improvised explosive devices under seven pylons of the Kalinin NPP’s high-voltage electric power lines.

The press service noted that as a result of measures taken, the following members of the sabotage and terrorist group had been detained: Ukrainian nationals Alexander Maystruk (aka "Mechanic"), born in 1978, and Eduard Usatenko (aka "Max"), born in 1974. Meanwhile, Yury Kishchak (aka "YuBK"), born in 1963, a dual national of Ukraine and Russia who is currently in Belgium, was placed on the wanted list. A criminal case was opened against the terror group’s members under Article 281, Part 1 ("Sabotage") and Article 222, Part 1 ("Illegal Acquisition, Transfer, Sale, Storage, Transport, Shipping or Carrying of Explosive Substances or Devices") of the Russian Criminal Code. The first charge carries a punishment of up to 20 years of incarceration while the second entails from six to eight years behind bars. The perpetrators have been arrested and are in the process of giving confessions.