The saboteurs who tried to blow up power transmission towers near the nuclear power plant were given 23 years in prison each

The First Western District Military Court has sentenced two Ukrainian saboteurs who tried to blow up power line supports near nuclear power plants (NPPs) in 2023. This was reported on February 12 by Daria Lebedeva, head of the Joint Press Service of St. Petersburg courts.

"The First Western District Military Court for the first time in its history considered a criminal case in which the defendants, among other things, were charged with such articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, as receiving training for the purpose of carrying out sabotage and terrorist activities," Lebedeva wrote in her Telegram-channel.

She recalled that on the eve of Victory Day in 2023, Alexander Maystruk and Eduard Usatenko attempted to undermine more than 30 transmission line towers in an attempt to inflict economic and reputational damage on Russia.

Maistruk and Usatenko managed to blow up one and mine four transmission towers at the Leningrad NPP, as well as plant explosive devices under seven towers at the Kalinin NPP. The damage caused is estimated at more than 10 million rubles, the publication notes.

The court passed a sentence, according to which the convicts received 23 years of imprisonment each. They will serve the first five years in prison, then - in a strict regime penal colony. Both convicts will be obliged to pay a fine of 900 thousand rubles.

In addition, the court recovered from them the damage caused in full.

On May 25, 2023, the Federal Security Service (FSB) reported on the prevention of terrorist attacks at nuclear power facilities, which were prepared by the special services of Ukraine. According to the FSB report, saboteurs attempted to undermine more than 30 supports of high-voltage power lines of the Leningrad and Kalinin nuclear power plants on the eve of Victory Day celebrations. If successful, it would have led to the shutdown of nuclear reactors, disrupting the operation of the nuclear power plants.

On the same day it was reported that Usatenko and Maistruk were detained. During interrogation, they confessed that they had tried to undermine the transmission line supports of the Leningrad and Kalinin nuclear power plants.