A Russian soldier guards the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in southeastern Ukraine in May 2022. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russia had placed explosive-looking devices atop the reactors at the plant. He said that Russia could carry out sabotage and blamed Ukraine. In contrast, Russia believes that Ukraine is planning an attack on the factory.
AP
hide captions
switch captions
AP
A Russian soldier guards the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in southeastern Ukraine in May 2022. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russia had placed explosive-looking devices atop the reactors at the plant. He said that Russia could carry out sabotage and blamed Ukraine. In contrast, Russia believes that Ukraine is planning an attack on the factory.
AP
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russian forces had placed explosive-like devices on top of a nuclear reactor at a power plant they control in southeastern Ukraine.
Zelenskyy made the alarming statement in his nightly video address late Tuesday, adding that he believes the Russians could soon sabotage the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant and blame Ukraine.
“We have information from our intelligence that the Russian military has placed objects similar to explosives on the roofs of some power units,” Zelenskyy said.
“Perhaps to simulate an attack on the factory. Maybe they have some other scenario,” he added. “But in any case, the world sees – and cannot fail to see – that the only source of danger to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is Russia, and no one else.”
The Zaporizhzhia plant is one of the largest in Europe with six nuclear reactors. Ukrainian officials said explosive devices may have been placed on top of reactors 3 and 4.
In contrast, Russia claims Ukraine is planning military action against the nuclear facility.
of Russia RIA Novosti news agency accused Ukraine of planning to attack the plant with “warheads filled with nuclear waste.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Wednesday warned of “catastrophic consequences”.
“So, of course, we are taking every measure to prevent such threats,” Peskov said.
Neither Russia nor Ukraine’s claims can be independently verified.
Both sides have alleged that the other has attacked the plant since Russia seized it last March, just days after they launched a full-scale invasion. Now both Russia and Ukraine say the threat is imminent.
The Ukrainian offensive is happening nearby
The latest development comes as Ukraine is stepping up a major offensive in the east and south of the country. One direction of attack was about 50 miles east of the nuclear plant.
Ukraine has made limited progress since launching its offensive a month ago. But if the Ukrainian army broke through the Russian line, the Russian army holding the Zaporizhzhia factory would be in great danger of being trapped there.
The Russians at the plant were surrounded to the north and west by the Dnipro River, with Ukrainian forces on the opposite side of the river.
If the Ukrainians were able to retake the factory, it would be a major symbolic and military victory, and a major defeat for the Russians.
However, the factory was repeatedly shelled and a shootout severely damaged a training facility. All-out combat near or at the plant would further increase the likelihood of a nuclear accident.
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, made a third visit to the plant last month to look at a separate crisis – possibly a lack of water needed to cool the material. Nuclear.
Grossi visited after a dam downstream of the plant was demolished in early June. Russia and Ukraine blame each other for the destruction of the Kakhovka dam, although most experts say available evidence suggests Russia is responsible.
Russia controlled the dam for more than a year before it collapsed. The dam created a reservoir that was used to cool the radioactive fuel. There is still enough water for the time being, Grossi said, and no danger is imminent.
Many safety issues at the factory
However, he said the plant’s safety net continues to fray. Grossi was able to increase the number of IAEA inspectors at the plant from four to six. They move around the facility, monitoring systems to make sure they’re still working as intended.
While the Russian military controls the plant, a group of Ukrainian workers still run the nuclear facility.
Ukrainian workers Those who had fled the factory described the Russian military’s capture and torture there, saying it looked more like a military base than a power plant.
One former worker, Roman German, told NPR’s Joanna Kakissis that the Russian military often shows little concern for safety. He said they parked military vehicles with ammunition near the plant’s engine room, as well as tank trucks filled with flammable liquids.
“Also, they exploited the territory around the factory. We were told to travel only during the day and absolutely on concrete roads,” German said.
