Russian President Vladimir Putin, Vladimir Putin has warned Britain of ‘serious consequences’ after he accused the UK’s special forces of trying to disrupt Russian nuclear power plants.
The Kremlin dictator slammed UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, saying he ‘doesn’t understand’ the risks of training Ukrainian troops on how to damage atomic power lines in Russia.
He went on to threaten dire consequences for the UK while admitting his thinly veiled threat would be interpreted as ‘nuclear blackmail’.
Putin claimed his FSB security service had interrogated a Ukrainian team operating inside Russia during a speech at an economic forum in the far eastern city of Vladivostok.
‘It turned out to be a sabotage group of Ukrainian special services,’ he said.
‘Interrogation showed they had been tasked to damage one of our nuclear stations by exploding a power line… to damage the work of the power plant. And this is not the first attempt.’
He alleged: ‘During interrogation, they admitted they were trained under the supervision of British instructors. Do [the British] understand what they are playing with, or not?
‘Are they provoking our response at Ukrainian nuclear sites, nuclear stations, or what?
‘Does the British leadership, or the Prime Minister [of the United Kingdom. Rishi Sunak] know what their special services are engaged within Ukraine?
‘Or do they have no clue at all? I assume this is possible, too. I assume it is possible British special services act on the orders of the Americans. Either way, we know the final beneficiary.
‘But do they realise what they are playing with? I am afraid they simply underestimate…. I know there will be howling that starts after my words like ‘These are threats!’, ‘Nuclear blackmail!’, and so on.’
Putin told his audience at the 2023 Eastern Economic Summit: ‘I assure you this is the total pure truth. So these guys are telling this to us during interrogation.
‘I know some can say, “They will say anything under a gun”. This is not true. And the leadership of the British special services knows I am telling the truth. But I am not sure the leadership of Great Britain understands what’s going on.
‘These kinds of things are seriously concerning, because they [the UK] don’t feel the ground – which can lead to serious consequences.’
Putin did not specify which branch of British special services he was alleging had trained the Ukrainian sabotage team.
The Kremlin dictator will later meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Russia as he pleads for ammunition and weapons for his faltering war in Ukraine.
Experts say Moscow will likely seek artillery shells and antitank missiles from North Korea, which wants advanced satellite and nuclear-powered submarine technology in return.