An advisor to the director of Russia’s Rosenergoatom nuclear power engineering company claimed Tuesday that Ukraine is planning an imminent attack on the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) while Ukraine is accusing Russian forces of plotting to blow up the facility.
The ZNPP is in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Oblast and has been controlled by Russian forces since March 2022. It has been the scene of fighting throughout the war as Ukraine launched failed attacks on the plant to recapture the facility last fall. At the time, Ukraine blamed shelling on the Russian-controlled plant on Russian forces.
Rosenergoatom advisor Renat Karchaa claimed Ukraine is planning to use a dirty bomb against the ZNPP, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. “In the nighttime on July 5, Ukrainian troops will try to attack the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant with the use of high-precision long-range weapons and kamikaze drone,” he said, according to the Russian news agency TASS.
“They plan to airdrop bombs stuffed with radioactive waste that were removed from the South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant to a military airfield in Ukraine. The standby bombing plan provides for the use of a Tochka-U high-precision rocket with a warhead stuffed with radioactive waste,” Karchaa added.
Also on Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed Russian forces planted explosives at the ZNPP. “Now we have information from our intelligence that the Russian troops have placed objects resembling explosives on the roof of several power units of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant,” he said.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said in a statement on Facebook that an attack could happen in the “near future” and claimed Russia would make it look like Ukrainian shelling.
Ukrainian officials made similar claims about explosives being planted at the ZNPP in recent weeks, but the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said its experts found no such devices. “IAEA experts have so far found no visible indications of mines or other explosives currently planted at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant, but they still need additional access to carry out further such checks at the site,” the IAEA said Friday.
As Ukraine was accusing Russia of plotting to blow up the ZNPP, US Senators Lindsey Grahan (R-SC) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) introduced legislation on June 22 that would declare Article 5 of the NATO treaty, which outlines mutual defense, would be triggered if Russia destroyed a nuclear facility and radioactive contaminates dispersed into NATO territory.
More and more the feeling is with me that this war won’t end well. There will be a nuclear disaster. I do not know what or how it takes place, but the West should be doing everything in its power to actually end this conflict. We should be negotiating with China and other less “pro-Ukraine nations” to see what they want to as a resolution. What has happened is a tragedy. I have no idea how many people actually fighting in Ukraine believe their lives are worth retaking soil in the Donbas region. There are no doubt true believers, but likely just as many men conscripted to fight for Zelensky, whom I trust as little as I trust Putin. These are both men who view themselves as more important than their citizenry. To be fair, most leaders feel this way. I have not heard Zelensky speak of peace rather he wants to retake territory that had VOTED to be annexed by Russia almost a decade ago. There was no uprising in Crimea before this war.
Sadly, Zelensky clearly takes most of his orders from the West and the Biden administration’s efforts at diplomacy leave MUCH to be desired. We have a weak President, an inexperienced and corrupt comedian running a historically corrupt fledgling democracy, and a dying superpower led by an arrogant megalomaniac, former KGB operative, who wants to rebuild the Iron Curtain. Neither side has much sense, and usually that’s why things go wrong.
Well, the Biden administration’s efforts at diplomacy do leave much to be desired. Because all of those efforts have been in the direction of thwarting diplomatic negotiation between Russia and Ukraine. But, after all, the US idea from the get-go has been to entangle Russia in a long war in order to cripple it economically and politically.
whoever runs out of bombs first will be the loser.
“last one there is a rotten egg!”
Have you read any of Putin’s speeches, or listened to any of his interviews, or read any of his writings? I challenge you to produce any evidence at all that Putin wants to rebuild the Iron Curtain. You might start by reading “The Putin Interviews” with Oliver Stone.
It never ceases to amaze me how many people swallow propaganda hook, line, and sinker without ever doing the research necessary to find the truth. No one has been more demonized in the West than Putin, and it has been going on for a very long time because he had the gaul to raise Russia up out of 70 years of Communism and a decade of pain under Boris Yeltsin. The U.S. can’t stand it that Russia might actually be functioning 1st World nation able to compete with us in trade.
All wars are predicated on lies, and all wars are fought for economic reasons.
Russian nuclear official claims Ukraine is planning imminent attack on nuclear plant.
Ukraine is also claiming Moscow is preparing an attack on the same nuclear plant.
that would be comical if it weren’t so serious.
the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is in Ukraine and has been controlled by Russian forces since March 2022.
almost the very first thing Russia did after attacking Ukraine. why? to make sure that nobody blows it up.
Ukraine launched failed attacks on the plant to recapture the facility last fall. At the time, Ukraine blamed shelling of the Russian-controlled plant on Russian forces.
more BS from the west, because why would Russia artillery shell a facility that they are controlling.
“almost the very first thing Russia did after attacking Ukraine. why? to make sure that nobody blows it up.”
Yeah right, like Russia is very caring. They took it to power the territory they stole from Ukraine.
Actually, the Russians and the Ukrainian technicians and engineers who continue to operate ZNPP began shutting down the reactors very early in the war. That was necessary in order to prevent a possible disaster, which could have resulted from Ukrainian shelling of the plant and/or from interruptions to connections to the power grid.
Five of the six reactors were in cold shutdown by about a year ago and the sixth, which had been used to generate steam needed in the process of securing the facility, was in cold shutdown by last September.
“”… the Russians and the Ukrainian technicians and engineers who continue to operate …””
yes – working together because politics be damned
“”(Russia) took it (ZNPP) to power the territory they stole from Ukraine””
well that sounds like a perfect justification (excuse) for Ukraine to attack the ZNPP, doesn’t it. and never mind that “stole from” is subjective in this case.
My dear Augustus Gloop, Putin cares even for your safety because radiation pollution is on a planetary scale.
Yep. Months ago reports from the ground in Moon of Alabama testified that was so. There is nothing we would not do to trip a Article 5 response from all of NATO nations. We are far, far away. The nations comprising of European NATO forces are withing shooting range from Russia. A Russia with 6,000 nukes. If there is a NATO response like that, each city with a military base stocked with U.S. weapons and men would be rendered flat, black and glow in the dark.
There’s already been an “Article 5 response,” because all Article 5 says is that all the NATO members should do whatever they happen to feel like doing.
Ukraine’s war is being run by politicians and at least one of them is senile.
They appear to believe they can lie to us just like they do about everything.
No one believes Russia is going to attack itself except extremely stupid people ….
….. and our Donny.
Think about this. A bipartisan resolution promoted by GOP South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham and Democratic Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal on June 22nd in effect states that if the Zaporozyhe nuclear power plant, for whatever reason, becomes the source of a major leak, then the NATO Article 5 will be invoked as a direct attack against NATO Europe.
I take “resolutions” as seriously as “stern letters of concern” or those “bipartisan commission” reports.
But “stern letters of concern” are the really scary ones.
When those are issued, watch out!
You stand between Ms. Lindsey and a Fox news camera ( or Stolen Valor Blumenthal and a CNN one) and you’ll be trampled.
The world’s #1 enemy is ignorance.
An attack in the “near future” to end “the future?” Well, well, well. Anyone surprised is nothing but a living testimony to the power of brainwashing we have received. Living of course ends with dying in case “an attack ending the future” was not clear enough. But, seriously? Remind me again. Are we all dying because Ukraine has a sacred right to join NATO? Or, are we all dying because that corrupt clown traitor to his own country, Zelensky, wants us to die? I used to make fun of people who are afraid of clowns. NOT ANY MORE. (Sarcasm)
On Sunday June 25th, Ukraine’s head of Defense Intelligence Kyrylo Budanov claimed that Russians had planted explosives near four of the six ZNPP reactors, which is total bullshit as the last thing Russia wants is to sabotage a nuclear meltdown that guarantees US/NATO’s entrance into World War III.
Whatever dirty things Zelenski plans to do — he always declares that Russians want to do that. How would it be in Russian interest to set explosives to nuclear plant that they control? Stupid of course, but it bever stops Zelenski. Offensive is not working , so they put explosive into dam, now contemplating attacking nuclear power planr. Witn prevailing winds, the fallout would hit eastern Europe first,, after contaminating Ukraine’s waters and its fertile soils,
Good plan. Kill and poison for centuries to come the fertile lands of Eastern Europe. Sicken the people. Who cares, all undesirables, deplorables. The Kiev regime is one sick and rabbid creature, What is next?
The real danger of a nuclear war rests with the insane people in the Washington DC asylum. That is the real scary part the insane, deranged neocons in Washington. Putin and his people are sane, rational commonsense people, Putin is a real statesman the same goes for his top diplomate Lavrov. Compare that with Blinken or the German Scholz and a Baerbock. then there is Nuland she is likely to run the Biden show. The world is in real danger with people like that.