Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed today that Ukrainian intelligence has intercepted plans by Russia to use the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant to conduct a radiation leak by somehow attacking it.
We have just had a report from our intelligence and the Security Service of ??.
Intelligence has received information that Russia is considering a scenario of a terrorist attack on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. A terrorist attack with radiation leakage. They have prepared… pic.twitter.com/WK6qM090Ru— ????????? ?????????? (@ZelenskyyUa) June 22, 2023
The caption for the video he released reads: “We have just had a report from our intelligence and the Security Service of Ukraine. Intelligence has received information that Russia is considering a scenario of a terrorist attack on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. A terrorist attack with radiation leakage. They have prepared everything for this.
Unfortunately, I have repeatedly had to remind that radiation has no state borders, and who it will hit is determined only by the wind direction.
We share all available information with our partners – everyone in the world. All the evidence. Europe, America, China, Brazil, India, the Arab world, Africa – all countries, absolutely everyone should know this. International organizations. Everyone.
There should never be any terrorist attacks on nuclear power plants anywhere. This time it should not be like with Kakhovka – the world has been warned, so the world can and must act.”
This comes after earlier this week, Ukrainian Intelligence Ministry Chief Kyrylo Budanov claimed Russian forces had laid mines in the ZNPP cooling pond as well, even going so far as to say it was mined even early last year after it was first taken by invading Russian forces. Russian officials did not respond to requests for comment.
Both sides have accused the other of mining and deploying artillery around and near the nuclear power plant, the largest nuclear plant in all of Europe and one of the top ten in the world. Russian forces initially deployed a number of heavy weapons when besieging the plant in March 2022. The intense battle was caught on security cameras live as Russian soldiers struck buildings inside the plant and Ukrainian positions with RPGs and machine gun fire. Efforts to create a demilitarized zone or negotiate ceasefires around the plant by organizations such as the IAEA have not been successful so far. While Ukraine has accused Russia of planning nuclear and radiation attacks, Russia has in the past also accused the Ukrainian Defense Ministry of constructing a dirty bomb, which they denied.
