Russia’s security service has announced the arrest of two Ukrainians who it said planned to target nuclear power plants in the country. The defence ministers of Russia and Belarus have signed a document on the deployment of Russian tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. The Russian commander of fighters that conducted a raid on a Russian border region said his group would soon launch more incursions into Russian territory from Ukraine.

Denis Kapustin, who described himself as the commander of the Russian Volunteer Corps, spoke to reporters on the Ukrainian side of the border with Russia, a day after Moscow said it repelled an attack on Russia’s Belgorod region that lasted almost 24 hours. “I think you will see us again on that side,” said Kapustin, who is known as an extreme right-wing Russian nationalist who introduced himself to reporters by his call-sign “White Rex”. “The operation is ongoing.”

Russia’s security service has announced the arrest of two Ukrainians who targeted nuclear power plants in the country. “A sabotage group from the Ukrainian foreign intelligence service … tried to blow up some 30 power lines of nuclear power plants in Leningrad and Kalinin” in early May with the aim of stopping the nuclear reactors at the plants, Russian news agencies quoted the FSB as saying in a statement.

The aim was to cause “serious economic harm to Russia and damage its reputation”, it said. The men had brought down “a pylon carrying a high voltage line and planted mines in four pylons carrying high voltage lines from the Leningrad nuclear power station”. Explosives were also planted near seven similar pylons linked to the Kalinin nuclear plant, it added. FSB said it was looking for a third man with Ukrainian-Russian nationality, adding 36.5kg of explosives and about 60 detonators were found in the homes of the suspects and their alleged accomplices.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan-INP