Russia’s state-run television says Ukraine was planning to attack a naval commemorative event which President Vladimir Putin attended in St. Petersburg last month.
State-run TV reported Kyiv was plotting an attack on the event which took place on July 28. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov revealed the alleged plan in interview with the channel. Russia reportedly notified the United States before the event that they were concerned about the planned attack.
In the interview, Ryabkov said a new escalation of tension had been avoided. He said the plot was disturbing and planned to cause maximum damage, but he didn’t want to reveal the details.
The New York Times reported that US officials said Russia informed the US about a Ukrainian covert operation in a phone conference between Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin last month.
The newspaper said the US warned Ukraine not to go ahead with its plan.
Some Russian media reported that Ukraine was preparing to assassinate Putin and Belousov.