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Russia has accused the West of training Ukrainian saboteurs to target its nuclear facilities.<\/p>\n
Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) Director Sergey Naryshkin slammed the West over its support for Ukraine while speaking to reporters, according to the state-run TASS News Agency.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cIt has come to the point where Western intelligence agencies are training Ukrainian sabotage and terrorist combat groups for attacks on Russia\u2019s nuclear energy facilities. This has been confirmed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Naryshkin went on to claim that Russia\u2019s FSB had already thwarted attacks by saboteurs without providing proof.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cSuch actions have certainly been prevented by our intelligence agencies [and] the Federal Security Service.<\/p>\n
READ MORE: <\/strong> Dramatic moment Ukraine missile blows up building filled with Russian soldiers<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cAttempts have been made to cause damage to the Kursk, Smolensk and Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plants. Clearly, it\u2019s hard to maintain any contacts with Western intelligence agencies under such circumstances.\u201d<\/p>\n Naryshkin didn\u2019t give a reason why Ukrainian forces would want to target Russia\u2019s nuclear reactors but pointed to what he called \u201cterrorist\u201d actions by Kyiv.<\/p>\n The comments come amid soaring nuclear tensions between Russia and NATO as Vladimir Putin prepares to rip up a key treaty which bans nuclear testing.<\/p>\n Putin has hinted Russia could begin testing its nuclear weapons and claimed to have tested a nuclear-powered missile earlier this month.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/78\/590x\/secondary\/Ukraine-Russia-war-5009011.jpg?r=1697137492749\")
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