According to the Ukrainian General Staff, any explosive devices would not fatally damage the units, but they are intended to create the impression that the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant faced shelling by Ukrainian forces. The General Staff also pointed out that the Russian media and commentators on the Telegram platform are already spreading misinformation in this sense.
Russia has accused Ukraine of planning to attack the power plant in the near future. According to RIA Novosti, the adviser to the head of the Russian concern Rosenergoatom, Renat Karchaa, stated that Ukraine plans to attack the power plant on the night of Wednesday with the help of “high-precision weapons” and drones.
In an evening speech, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy repeated the General Staff’s assertion and appealed to the international community to show that it is ready to respond in the event of Russian terror. Zelenskyi also discussed the threat with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron.
“Radiation is a threat to everyone, and the nuclear power plant must be completely protected from any incident,” Zelenskyy emphasized, adding that Russia is the only danger to the Zaprozhny power plant. He also recalled the destruction of the Kakhovsky Dam, which brought catastrophic floods and will have long-term consequences for the fertile part of southern Ukraine.
“The Armed Forces of Ukraine do not violate the norms of international humanitarian law, monitor and control the situation and are ready to act under all circumstances. No hostile provocation will work,” the Ukrainian General Staff said in a statement.
Drábová calms down
The chairperson of the Czech State Office for Nuclear Safety, Dana Drábová, pointed out on Twitter that it could be an information war from both sides. “If something does happen there, distance protects us,” she wrote.
Keep calm. Zaporizhia holds. Let’s not jump on the information war waged by both sides. If something does happen there, distance protects us.
— Dana Drábová #KeepCalmAndSmile (@DrabovaDana) July 4, 2023
At the beginning of July, the backup line was restored at the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant after four months. At the same time, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) warned that the situation remains unstable and tense.
The largest facility of its kind in Europe has been occupied by Russia since the beginning of March last year. The power plant in the town of Enerhodar now practically runs through the front line, Moscow and Kiev have blamed each other for shelling the power plant in the past.
2023-07-04 20:33:22
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