DISINFO: Ukraine attacks Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant to blackmail Europe with a new Chernobyl
SUMMARY
The attack on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant caused alarm in the West because Kyiv has nothing left to lose and is blackmailing Europe with a new, much worse Chernobyl. The risk of this scenario is low because the Russian armed forces are doing everything they can to ensure the safety of the nuclear power plant. But the blackmail is aimed at the sensitive psyche of the Europeans, who have been shaken by the failure of the new "campaign to the East".
RESPONSE
This is a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about nuclear threats in the context of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
There is no evidence to back the claim that it was Ukraine who attacked the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant with drones on 7 April 2024. These accusations against Ukraine are intended to cover up the Kremlin’s nuclear blackmail and scaremongering against Ukraine and the EU, including threats to use tactical nuclear weapons and preparations for a deliberate nuclear catastrophe at the Russia-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
The U.N.’s atomic watchdog agency condemned the drone strike on one of six nuclear reactors at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine, saying such attacks “significantly increase the risk of a major nuclear accident.” Rafael Grossi, the head of the U.N.’s atomic watchdog agency confirmed at least three direct hits against the ZNPP main reactor containment structures took place. “This cannot happen,” he said. The U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency did not attribute blame.
Moreover, it is not Ukraine, but Russia that, for the first time in human history, has not only seized another country's nuclear facility but is also militarising a nuclear power plant, actively using the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant to conduct hostilities against Ukraine. Recently, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell stressed that the drone attack on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant increases the risk of a nuclear accident and that Russia should withdraw from there.
Russia has adopted many reckless actions regarding this facility, including placing military equipment and troops inside its premises, using its surroundings as a base for rocket and missile attacks, and interrupting its power line. In addition, Russia rejected UN proposals to demilitarise the areas surrounding the plant, as it was deliberately waging a fear campaign about the risks of a nuclear disaster in order to advance its goals in Ukraine.
See similar disinformation cases claiming that the Zaporizhzhia NPP was heavily attacked with drones by the Kyiv regime that the US wants to prepare the world for a provocation at the Zaporizhzhia NPP and that Zelenskyy being pushed to attack the Zaporizhzhia NPP.