Six former officials of Ukrainian design institutes who worked for the sanctioned Russian Rosatom have been detained in Kharkiv, the Security Service has said.
At the request of the Russian corporation, they developed research and design documentation for the modernisation of Russian nuclear power plants. First of all, we are talking about Kursk, Rostov, Novovoronezh and Balakovo NPPs.
Rosatom representatives also planned to involve their associates in high-tech work in the temporarily occupied part of the territory in southern Ukraine. They were supposed to help the occupiers fully integrate the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant into the Russian energy system.
The main person involved in the proceedings is the head of a design organisation in Kharkiv. The official established contact with the Russians through his relative, the owner of a Russian company that performs contracts for Rosatom.
The Kharkiv resident involved five other local nuclear scientists in his criminal activities. They carried out the orders of the Nazis even under constant enemy missile and drone strikes.
For their cooperation with the occupiers, the defendants received remuneration from Russia in cryptocurrency. The funds were transferred to the crypto wallets of fictitious persons, who then cashed the received amounts and transferred them to the designers.
Documents, computers and mobile phones were seized during the searches. Based on the evidence collected, investigators served all six detainees a notice of suspicion under Part 1 of Art. 111-2 of the Criminal Code (aiding the aggressor state). The offenders face up to 12 years in prison.