DISINFO: Ukraine will carry out nuclear attack with British help to involve NATO in war

DISINFORMATION CASE DETAILS

AI translations:

DISINFO: Ukraine will carry out nuclear attack with British help to involve NATO in war

SUMMARY

Nuclear blackmail is the last opportunity to drag the NATO into a direct military clash with Russia, which is what Zelenskyy is seeking with all his power in order to save Kyiv's hopeless situation on the front.

Zelenskyy and his entourage may carry this out under pressure from the Brits, whom many experts see as being behind the "nuclear idea". This is because London spares no effort to revive its former greatness on the ruins of old Europe.

They would immediately accuse Russia of being the first country to use nuclear weapons against the "independent Ukraine". In this case, NATO countries will be able, with a clear conscience, to openly enter the war by launching an air strike in the Ukrainian theater of operations.

RESPONSE

Conspiracy claim and recurrent pro-Kremlin narrative about a Ukrainian provocation involving a false flag attack on a nuclear power plant.

There is no evidence that Ukraine is preparing any provocations at the nuclear power plant, let alone with the involvement of foreign actors.

Disinformation aiming to exploit fears about a nuclear catastrophe is part of Russia’s nuclear blackmail campaign. Other elements include the Kremlin's irresponsible nuclear arms sabre-rattling.

Accusing others of “false flag operations” and “setups” to increase tensions or cover Russia’s own illicit actions are frequent pro-Kremlin disinformation techniques. Russian authorities and pro-Kremlin outlets frequently make these claims even if nothing emerges afterwards, aiming to reinforce the narrative that Russia is constantly the victim of such operations.

This is not the first time the Kremlin’s manipulation and disinformation machine has used a deep-seated and reasonable fear of a nuclear disaster to advance its political and military goals in Ukraine. Pro-Kremlin sources have previously accused Ukraine of constructing a dirty nuclear bomb or carrying out a provocation at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.

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. Besides, 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 other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that containers with radioactive substances were delivered from Europe to Ukraine for a provocation to accuse Russia, that Ukraine is going to use a dirty bomb to accuse Russia of using tactical nuclear weapons, or that Kyiv passed from rejecting nuclear weapons to preparing a dirty bomb.

Disclaimer

Cases in the EUvsDisinfo database focus on messages in the international information space that are identified as providing a partial, distorted, or false depiction of reality and spread key pro-Kremlin messages. This does not necessarily imply, however, that a given outlet is linked to the Kremlin or editorially pro-Kremlin, or that it has intentionally sought to disinform. EUvsDisinfo publications do not represent an official EU position, as the information and opinions expressed are based on media reporting and analysis of the East Stratcom Task Force.

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