Russia wanted a quick victory in Ukraine, and it sent its spies after Ukrainian nuclear power plant workers to make it happen

Ukraine has one of the largest nuclear power plant systems in the world. So when Russia started planning its invasion, Ukraine’s nuclear energy infrastructure was a top target.

The objective of the Russian intelligence services was to gain control of those plants and then use them as leverage against the Ukrainian government. As part of a broader effort to destabilize Ukrainian institutions, Russian spies began recruiting agents in Ukraine long before Russian troops crossed into Ukraine on February 24, 2022.