The Russian Federal Security Service, known as the FSB, reported that an operation linked to Ukrainian intelligence aimed at striking the Leningrad and Kalinin nuclear power facilities did not go as planned and ended without success. The announcement was carried by DEA News and subsequently referenced by Russian security officials.
FSB statements indicate that a sabotage and terrorist group associated with Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service, the SVR, had identified more than thirty high‑voltage transmission towers connected to the Leningrad and Kalinin nuclear power stations as targets. The stated objective behind this plan was to trigger a cascade of failures: reactor shutdowns, disruption to plant operations, and broad economic and reputational damage to Russia. In this narrative, the attackers sought to create widespread instability by compromising critical infrastructure that supports the energy grid and regional industry.
According to the FSB, the operation unfolded with attempts to detonate at least one power line support near the Leningrad NPP and to undermine four additional supports. Investigators also report that improvised explosive devices were placed beneath seven pylons at the Kalinin NPP. The agency described these efforts as coordinated acts intended to degrade the reliability of the electric grid and to force a prolonged period of reactor unease or shutdown, should the devices have succeeded. The details illustrate a strategy focused on physical damage to infrastructure as a lever for economic and political pressure.
In connection with the investigation, two Ukrainian nationals were detained, and another individual described as a Ukrainian-Russian was placed on an international wanted list while in Belgium. The arrests are presented by the FSB as a sign of ongoing counterterrorism work aimed at preventing attacks on critical facilities and ensuring public safety within Russia and the broader region. The case underscores the cross-border dimension that security services monitor when confronting groups linked to foreign intelligence services.
Earlier in the year, regional authorities in Orenburg reported legal action against a Russian individual detained in Novotroitsk for planning terrorist activities in the Orenburg region. The Leninsky District Court ruling extended the pretrial detention period, reflecting the seriousness with which prosecutors treat alleged plots that target critical infrastructure. The cases cited together illustrate a pattern security agencies describe as persistent, with multiple fronts and actors involved across different areas and jurisdictions, all connected to the broader threat landscape facing energy infrastructure in the region.