Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s recent attempts to accuse Russia of plotting a terror attack on the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) may hint at Kiev’s own schemes to attack or strike the facility in a bid to embroil NATO into the Ukrainian conflict, a high-ranking Russian nuclear official said.
“This cheap show testifies to the fact that they [the Kiev government] are really preparing something terrifying,” said Renat Karchaa, an adviser to the CEO of the Rosenergoatom concern. “Regrettably, the only possible conclusion [that we can make] today is that preparations are now under way in Kiev for a terror act or an attack against the ZNPP.”
“In my opinion, they are searching for an opportunity to find a legitimate pretext for a full-scale NATO participation in the conflict,” he added.
In Karchaa’s opinion, Ukraine does not have the capacity to destroy the plant’s reactors, but it may blow up a dirty bomb nearby or strike the NPP’s nuclear storage facilities to create radioactive pollution in the area.
Earlier, Zelensky said he had notified the United States, Brazil, India, China, countries in Europe, East and Africa about Russia’s alleged preparations for a terrorist attack resulting in a radiation leak at the Zaporozhye NPP. He published his video message just hours after the news reports Grossi was to visit Russia on June 23. Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed Zelensky’s claims as a lie.
