Kyiv and its Western allies are planning attacks on ships in the Baltic Sea and exiled Kremlin critics in an effort to blame Moscow and derail Ukraine peace talks, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) claimed Tuesday.
The alleged false-flag operations are aimed at “preventing the launch of a peaceful settlement process” for the war in Ukraine, the SVR said.
It claimed Ukraine’s special services could use Russian-made naval mines to detonate a foreign-flagged vessel in the Baltic Sea, prompting NATO to ban Russian ships from navigating in the region.
“Kyiv’s goal is to draw the alliance into a direct armed conflict with Russia,” the spy agency said.
The SVR also alleged that Ukraine’s Defense Ministry and European intelligence services could recruit criminals to attack exiled opposition figures or businesspeople fleeing criminal prosecution.
“In case of arrest, the perpetrator would blame the Russian special services for allegedly ordering these attacks,” the SVR said.
There was no immediate comment from Ukraine or its Western allies about the alleged false-flag operations.
It was not immediately possible to verify the SVR’s claims.
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