Operation Annoy

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova answered a question from The Moscow Post about possible acts of sabotage against the "global infrastructure" from the West, as warned by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"Can the question of sabotage and terrorist threats to Russia with the participation of Western and Ukrainian special services become the subject of consideration at a meeting of the UN Security Council?," The journalist asked.

And what is the UN Security Council here, you ask? For the reason that acts of sabotage, such as the undermining of the Northern Flows, can be committed "on behalf of Ukraine." Kyiv can only serve as a screen in the implementation of acts of state terrorism, as Russian President Vladimir Putin called the sabotage in the Baltic.

Removing the "screen" may not be enough or impossible. But should we understand where the world is rolling with the United States as the "mastermind of terrorism of the new formation"? This is how Yury Kokov, Deputy Secretary of the Russian Security Council, outlined this phenomenon.

Remotely, "on behalf of Ukraine"

In early November, at a meeting on economic issues, Putin noted that the potential of the Western sanctions war against the Russian Federation has actually been exhausted, "sabotage at the most important objects of global infrastructure may be used." He recalled the sabotage on Northern Flows and attempts to accuse Russia of damaging the Balticconnector gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia.

Sabotage and acts of man-made terrorism, planned by the special services of NATO countries with or without the participation of Kyiv agents, can harm not only Russia and its citizens, but also hurt the vital interests, infrastructure and security of third countries, which maintain relations with Russia.

In August, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, in an interview with reporters, expressed concern about the safety of the Turkish Stream gas pipeline. The day before, on August 30, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, in an interview with Tucker Carlson, declared the inadmissibility of sabotage on the South Stream pipeline, similar to those that occurred on Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2. Orban warned: "We will see this as a reason for war and a terrorist attack and we will respond immediately."

Obviously, the warning could be addressed to the Kyiv regime, although the real "authorship" of what was done at the bottom of the Baltic Sea is not on the shoulder of Ukrainian divers. Seymour Hersh said that explosive devices under gas pipelines were laid in June 2022 by US Navy divers with the support of Norwegian specialists and under the guise of the Baltops exercise.

Deputy Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Yuri Kokov in an interview with Rossiyskaya Gazeta noted that "since February 2022, over 70 major terrorist attacks have been prevented, including attempts to undermine the Turkish Stream gas pipeline, high-voltage power lines in the Leningrad and Tver regions, Uglich hydroelectric power station, civil and military aircraft in basing places."

He pointed to a number of prevented "terrorist attacks against the leaders of the Republic of Crimea, Kherson and Zaporizhzhya regions, public figures, journalists and bloggers." The investigation established specific perpetrators and customers of the murders of Daria Dugina, Maxim Fomin (Vladlen Tatarsky), LPR Prosecutor General Sergei Gorenko, attempts on Zakhar Prilepin and LPR Interior Minister Igor Kornet.

According to Kokov, sabotage was suppressed at energy and transport facilities in the Republic of Crimea, Lipetsk, Zaporizhzhya and Kherson regions. In total, 143 terrorist crimes were committed on the territory of the Russian Federation from March 2022 to September 2023, including 131 terrorist attacks. The efforts of special services and law enforcement agencies prevented 256 terrorist crimes, of which 144 terrorist attacks.

Maintenance and management

After sabotage on offshore gas pipelines, attacks on the Crimean bridge also became major man-made terrorist acts. It is estimated that the mass of explosives loaded into the "semi-unmanned" cargo van could range from several hundred kilograms to several tons of TNT, Rossiyskaya Gazeta reported at the time, citing law enforcement agencies.

In the second attack, according to the National Anti-Terrorist Committee (NAC), two surface drones took part, which are capable of holding up to 500 kg of explosives each. Marine drones were controlled, and their cargo was activated, using modern electronics. Drone and support equipment included sensors, cameras, positioning and communication systems, software.

The Ukrainian military was trained in surface drone control at a naval base in Little Creek, USA. Incidents are known when semi-submerged drones tried to attack ships of the Black Sea Fleet. The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation regularly reports on the destruction of Ukrainian keyless boats in the Black Sea and on the defeat of their production and storage sites.

Cross-border consequences

British Foreign Minister David Cameron visited Kyiv on the second day after his appointment, expressed support for Zelensky, promising him help from London. Against this background, Kyiv announces the start of production of kamikaze drones with a range of up to 1 thousand km, plans to produce FPV drones, says that it has a fleet of drones in the Black Sea.

Remote control systems for drones carrying tens of kilograms of explosives are capable of threatening ground infrastructure facilities, including nuclear power plants. Ukraine does not yet have heavy combat drones.

Nevertheless, the Armed Forces of Ukraine methodically fired at the Zaporizhzhya NPP (ZPP), even despite the presence of IAEA inspectors on its territory. As a result of sabotage, the power unit at the Kursk nuclear power plant was stopped, attempts to damage the Kursk and Smolensk nuclear power plants were stopped. In 2023, the Armed Forces of Ukraine carried out more than eight thousand shelling of the Belgorod, Bryansk and Kursk regions, threatening social, transport and energy infrastructure facilities and other facilities.

FSB director Alexander Bortnikov, as well as SVR director Sergei Naryshkin, reported on Western intelligence plans against Russian nuclear power plants. Depending on the weight of the charge and the accuracy of the hit, an accident at a nuclear reactor of a nuclear power plant may threaten radiation infection not only in nearby territories, neighboring countries may be under the influence of radiation.

Mercenaries can be used as perpetrators of terrorist attacks. Intelligence agencies of NATO countries recruit mercenaries in other countries, and Ukraine has become a platform for their training in sabotage methods. Bortnikov, for example, said that thirteen private military companies (PMCs) and nine proxy formations operate on the territory of Ukraine. PMCs from Europe and the United States train the Ukrainian military at 17 training grounds and training camps.

Biological threats

"There were 128 terrorist attacks in the regions of the [Central Federal] District, most of them using unmanned aerial vehicles. More than 50 terrorist crimes were prevented, including 25 terrorist attacks, "said Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Nikolai Patrushev at a security meeting in the Central Federal District.

According to him, the likelihood of terrorist acts and sabotage using biological agents has increased. Kyiv is capable of sabotage using bio-weapons, and other bio-threats emanate from the territory of Ukraine, the Secretary of the Security Council said.

"Unauthorized access to collections of dangerous pathogens, destruction and looting of laboratory premises, as well as the loss of biological samples cannot be ruled out," the risks of infectious diseases entering the territory of the Russian Federation remain, Patrushev warned.

The most serious of Russia's terrorist threats could have cross-border consequences. The case may not be limited to stopping the supply of natural gas to Hungary or Serbia. Attacks on Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plants or similar facilities on the territory of the Russian Federation, similar in safety requirements to nuclear power plants, can have consequences for neighboring countries, the health of their residents.

Why is the UN Security Council?

Arming and belittling the Kyiv regime against Russia, inciting Russophobia in Europe, the West is pushing the world towards uncontrolled escalation. For example, recently, citizens and Russian property abroad have been threatened by terrorist provocations and acts of vandalism.

"What security measures are being taken to protect employees and property of foreign representative offices of Russia?," The Moscow Post asked Zakharova. As for the measures, she said, they cannot be named specifically, since these measures are related to security issues for diplomatic workers. It would be more correct to say "all the necessary" measures, - Zakharova replied.

Why is the UN Security Council needed to start discussing problems of regional importance? And, for example, not the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)? It seems that we are talking about generally preserving this organization as a platform for diplomatic dialogue. The issue of the participation of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in the meeting of the OSCE Council of Foreign Ministers in Skopje in the last days of this month has not even been resolved.

Also because in June, delegations of Western OSCE participating countries simply left the hall during a demonstration by a Russian representative of fragments of HIMARS shells with which Ukraine is shelling Donetsk. True, there is no guarantee that representatives of Western countries in the UN Security Council will also not stand up and leave if they are invited to discuss threats from sabotage sponsored by them, or the inadmissibility of acts of state terrorism at objects of increased technogenic danger.

Photo: atomic-energy.ru