Ukraine war: nuclear tensions rise as Kyiv, Moscow clash over potential ‘catastrophic’ Zaporizhzhia plant provocation
- On Tuesday, Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky reinforced a warning that Russia may be planning to sabotage the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant
- On Wednesday, the Kremlin responded by claiming that Kyiv is planning a provocation on the complex
Concerns intensified that a Russian-occupied nuclear reactor in southern Ukraine could be the target of fresh attacks as Kyiv and Moscow traded barbs over the potential of a radiological incident.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reinforced a warning overnight that Russia may be planning to sabotage the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which Moscow’s forces have occupied since the start of the war.
“We have information from our intelligence that Russian troops have placed objects resembling explosives on the roof of several power units” at Zaporozhzhia, Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly address to the nation. The objects may also be used to “simulate” an attack, he said.
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Ukraine prepares for potential nuclear disaster in Zaporizhzhia power plant
The Kremlin responded on Wednesday that the government in Kyiv is planning a provocation.
“The situation is quite tense because the threat of sabotage from the Kyiv regime is really high – sabotage that could have catastrophic consequences,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Inspectors from the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency have reported that they’ve seen no evidence of anti-personnel mines installed within the plant’s grounds that could endanger reactor safety. IAEA monitors at the facility continue to monitor the situation, a spokesperson said.
The nuclear plant, the largest in Europe, has been the target of artillery, drone and rocket attacks on and off for more than a year, with Ukrainian and Russian official blaming each other for the strikes. UN monitors were installed at Zaporizhzhia in September to assess risks.