Ukraine war: Ukraine’s defence intelligence has claimed that Russia is plotting a “large-scale provocation” at a nuclear power plant under its control in Zaporizhzhia. Kremlin is aiming to disrupt Ukraine’s counteroffensive, Kyiv said. It added that the Russian forces will strike the unit in the southeast of Ukraine, the biggest nuclear power station in Europe.
This comes two days after a top ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin said the Ukraine war could last for decades.
‘Russia will attack unit, report radioactive leak’
A statement issued by the Kyiv military intelligence flagged that Russia will attack the unit and then report a radioactive leak. This would trigger an international probe and halt the hostilities. This, in turn, would give time to Kremlin to regroup.
Ukraine has said that Russia “disrupted the rotation of personnel of the permanent monitoring mission” of the United Nations’ International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) scheduled for Saturday. However, Kyiv did not provide any evidence to cement the claim.
Meanwhile, the White House said it had been monitoring the ongoing conflict closely and that no indication of radioactive material has been leaked. Secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, Oleksiy Danilov, told media that Moscow is bracing for a looming counteroffensive by Kyiv’s forces. This could begin “tomorrow, the day after tomorrow or in a week”, he said. He also said that Kyiv had no “right to make a mistake” and it was an opportunity Ukraine could not “lose”.
Zaporizhzhia unit is among the 10 biggest nuclear power plants globally. It has six reactors that have been shut down for months. The unit requires a qualified staff and adequate power to operate crucial cooling systems or any other safety measure.
Chernobyl once again?
Russia suffered catastrophic losses in Ukraine’s Chernobyl in 1986. Its alleged motive in Zaporizhzhia has fuelled similar fears, coupled with frequent power cuts and a potential disaster in the partially occupied region.
Meanwhile, at least one person was killed and three injured in Russia’s night air raid on Kyiv with the defence systems downing at least 20 drones moving towards the capital, officials said on Sunday.
Falling drone debris on a gas station killed a 41-year-old man in the city’s Solomyanskyi district, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
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