Russia and Ukraine accused each other on Wednesday of plotting to sabotage the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in southern Ukraine, further raising tensions over one of the war’s main flash points, even as analysts said the immediate risk of serious harm appeared low.
President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, citing the country’s intelligence service, said that Russian troops who seized the plant in March of last year have placed objects that look like explosives on the roof of several of its power units, possibly with the intent of simulating an attack and blaming it on Ukraine. He did not elaborate and the claim could not be independently confirmed, but Ukrainian officials have been increasingly ratcheting up warnings of nuclear sabotage. “The only source of danger to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is Russia and no one else.” Ukraine’s health ministry on Tuesday released guidelines in the event of an emergency.
In Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov raised the specter of a potentially “catastrophic” provocation by the Ukrainian army at the nuclear plant, which is Europe’s largest. “The situation is quite tense. There is a great threat of sabotage by the Kyiv regime, which can be catastrophic in its consequences,” Peskov said in response to a reporter’s question about the plant. He also claimed that the Kremlin was pursuing “all measures” to counter the alleged Ukrainian threat.
The UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency has officials stationed at the Russian-held plant, which is still run by a Ukrainian staff that oversees crucial cooling systems and other safety features. Experts based at the plant said on Wednesday that they had seen no indications of explosives but that more access is needed to be sure. IAEA chief Rafael Mariano Grossi said the most recent inspection of the plant found no activity related to explosives, “but we remain extremely alert.”
The Ukrainian and Russian warnings have intensified in recent weeks after the destruction of the Kakhovka dam last month, for which Ukraine and Russia blame each other.
The IAEA repeatedly expressed alarm over the possibility of a radiation catastrophe like the one at Chernobyl after a reactor exploded in 1986. The six reactors at Zaporizhzhia are shut down, but the plant still needs power and qualified staff to run crucial cooling systems and other safety features.
President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, citing the country’s intelligence service, said that Russian troops who seized the plant in March of last year have placed objects that look like explosives on the roof of several of its power units, possibly with the intent of simulating an attack and blaming it on Ukraine. He did not elaborate and the claim could not be independently confirmed, but Ukrainian officials have been increasingly ratcheting up warnings of nuclear sabotage. “The only source of danger to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is Russia and no one else.” Ukraine’s health ministry on Tuesday released guidelines in the event of an emergency.
In Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov raised the specter of a potentially “catastrophic” provocation by the Ukrainian army at the nuclear plant, which is Europe’s largest. “The situation is quite tense. There is a great threat of sabotage by the Kyiv regime, which can be catastrophic in its consequences,” Peskov said in response to a reporter’s question about the plant. He also claimed that the Kremlin was pursuing “all measures” to counter the alleged Ukrainian threat.
The UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency has officials stationed at the Russian-held plant, which is still run by a Ukrainian staff that oversees crucial cooling systems and other safety features. Experts based at the plant said on Wednesday that they had seen no indications of explosives but that more access is needed to be sure. IAEA chief Rafael Mariano Grossi said the most recent inspection of the plant found no activity related to explosives, “but we remain extremely alert.”
The Ukrainian and Russian warnings have intensified in recent weeks after the destruction of the Kakhovka dam last month, for which Ukraine and Russia blame each other.
The IAEA repeatedly expressed alarm over the possibility of a radiation catastrophe like the one at Chernobyl after a reactor exploded in 1986. The six reactors at Zaporizhzhia are shut down, but the plant still needs power and qualified staff to run crucial cooling systems and other safety features.