"The Federal Security Service of Russia prevented a terrorist attack on nuclear power facilities planned by the special services of Ukraine," the FSB said in a statement.
On the eve of Victory Day, a sabotage-terrorist group of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine made an attempt to blast more than 30 power transmission towers of high-voltage power lines of the Leningrad and Kalinin nuclear power plants (NPP), the statement read.
The Ukrainian special services' plan suggested that attacks against Russian nuclear power plants lead to a shutdown of reactors and a disruption of the plants' regular operation, the FSB said, adding that this was supposed to cause serious economic and reputational damage to Russia.
"The terrorists managed to blow up one and mine four power transmission towers of the Leningrad NPP and planted improvised explosive devices under seven power transmission towers of the Kalinin NPP," the statement added.
The FSB has detained two Ukrainian saboteurs, recruited by Kiev, who were preparing attacks against these nuclear power plants in Russia and for this purpose they underwent special training on the territory of Ukraine. Two of their accomplices from among Russian citizens were also detained. Another saboteur with dual Russian-Ukrainian citizenship was put on the wanted list.
The Ukrainian special services planned to smuggle explosives to blow up the power transmission towers from Poland to Lithuania, then through Belarus to Russia's Tver region, the FSB said, adding that a cargo trailer with caches for the hidden transportation of weapons and firearms was used as a camouflage.