DISINFO: Ukraine shells Zaporizhzhia NPP to organise another Bucha-like provocation there
SUMMARY
The Ukrainian and US authorities need the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant shelled to get there and organise another anti-Russian Bucha-like provocation. They do not need the Russian forces there as witnesses. They can bring actors and present them to the public as victims, as was the case in Bucha. They could also shoot some people on the NPP territory. Therefore the Russian forces need to stay at the Zaporizhzhia NPP no matter what.
RESPONSE
The claim is part of a wider pro-Kremlin campaign accusing Ukraine and its allies of preparing a false-flag incident in Zaporizhzhia. It also promotes a disinformation narrative from pro-Kremlin media denying the involvement of Russian troops in a massacre in the town of Bucha near Kyiv ,already widely debunked.
A video shared by Russian opposition outlet The Insider shows that Russian military vehicles move in and around the plant, some of them (including armored vehicles) moved into the building containing the first of the plant’s six nuclear reactors. Besides this, Russian forces dug trenches and establish firing positions.
Ukraine-joint statement on the situation at the Zaporizhzhia NPP of 14 August 2022 urges Russia to immediately withdraw its military forces and all other unauthorised personnel from the Zaporizhzhia NPP. It also says, “The presence of Russian military forces at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant prevents the operator and the Ukrainian authorities from fulfilling their nuclear and radiation safety obligations in accordance with international conventions and IAEA safety standards, and prevents the IAEA from fulfilling its safeguards mandate.”
As our recent analysis explains, reporting about the situation around Zaporizhzhia NPP, pro-Kremlin outlets use a familiar tactic of throwing as many accusations as possible. They previously alleged that Ukraine is shelling the ZNPP to trigger an international peacekeeping mission, that the US has secret labs in ZNPP, that the West was preparing a CBRN provocation, and that the West is responsible for Ukraine shelling the ZNPP.
Bucha: Evidence of Russian atrocities commited in Bucha is overwhelming. Several executions and shooting of Ukrainian civilians in Bucha were recorded in video by witnesses and Ukrainian drones. Russia's claims that video footage showing dead bodies on the streets of Bucha is staged have been fact-checked and debunked by the Bellingcat, The Atlantic Council, Mediazona, The Insider and others. Other false allegations denying Russian involvement in the Bucha massacres were further debunked by some of those international outlets like Deutsche Welle, El País or France24. Read more here.
Technical remark: This disinformation was broadcast via Sputnik on 17 August 2022. Due to the EU decision to restrict the spread and dissemination of RT and Sputnik inside the EU, access to the link may not work inside the EU.