NATO Pushes Kiev to Attack Nuclear Power Facilities Due to Its Army Failures, Says Russian Official

The Armed Forces of Ukraine fail to solve the tasks set in the special military operation zone, and therefore NATO is pushing Kiev to more active sabotage and terrorist actions in the Russian border area, including attacks on critical nuclear energy facilities, declared Alexander Bortnikov, Director of the Federal Security Service (FSB), Chairman of the Council of Heads of National Security Enforcement Agencies and Special Services of the CIS.

"Despite large-scale deliveries of Western weapons, military and special equipment, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are unable to solve the tasks set in the special military operation zone. In this connection, the NATO members are pushing Kiev to escalate its activities by engaging in a sabotage and terrorist warfare in the Russian border area, attacking critical nuclear power, transport and the oil and gas sector facilities, and acts of intimidation of the civilian population," Bortnikov said on Friday.

Alexander Bortnikov also stated that the West is not interested in stability in the South Caucasus and wants to station its own "peacekeeping" contingent in the region under the auspices of NATO.

"The Americans and Europeans are obviously not interested in establishing stability in the South Caucasus. By pushing Yerevan to drag out negotiations with Baku, the West is trying to lead the process of the Armenia-Azerbaijan settlement and achieve the stationing of its own 'peacekeeping' contingent, formally under the auspices of the UN, but de facto NATO," Bortnikov said, at a meeting of the Council of Heads of National Security Enforcement Agencies and Special Services of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in Astana, Kazakhstan.

The deployment of the EU Mission in Armenia near the Armenia-Azerbaijan border, which Bortnikov said is actually conducting intelligence activities against Russia, indicates what kind of peacekeeping it will be, he added.

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At the meeting, the Russian official also said that the West is pushing Armenia to withdraw from the Collective Security Treaty Organization in order to make the country more dependent on NATO in the further development of Armenia's relations with Azerbaijan.

The FSB director also expressed concerns over US attempts to expand its influence in the CIS countries through grants and exchange programs, as well as assistance in introducing economic reforms that will ultimately benefit the United States. In this way, Bortnikov said, Washington is trying to bring Western-controlled political leaders to power in the CIS.