Ukrainian intelligence services are planning a series of provocative moves aimed at discrediting Russia, the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) announced on Tuesday.
According to the report, Ukraine, with the support of its Western allies, plans to sink a foreign ship in the Baltic Sea, using Russian-made sea mines that are at the disposal of Ukrainian intelligence services. Ukraine would then attribute the responsibility for the incident to Russia. The goal of the provocation is to motivate the NATO leadership to close the access to the Baltic Sea for Russia, under the pretext of ensuring the safety of navigation. Ukraine’s ultimate goal is to drag the military alliance into a direct conflict with Russia.
Furthermore, the Ukrainian Military Intelligence in cooperation with several European countries is planning attacks on Russian opposition figures and businessmen abroad, the SVR reported. Potential perpetrators from Asian and Middle Eastern countries are being promised a reward of at least $20,000. In the event of an arrest, these individuals would be instructed to blame the Russian security services.
The information available to the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service suggests that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his entourage are willing to resort to any provocation to save themselves. In doing so, Ukraine not only risks hindering the peace process, but also could drag the conflict far beyond the borders of Ukraine.