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KIEV – Ukrainian officials and intelligence officers warned that Russia could prepare to blow up a nuclear power plant, which could lead to a radioactive environmental disaster.
Following the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam last month, Kiev fears the Kremlin is planning to organize an explosion at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant – the largest in Europe – in the Russian-held city of Enerhodar.
According to Ukrainian intelligence, Russian workers were ordered to leave the power plant by July 5.
“There is a serious threat. “Russia is technically ready to provoke a local explosion at the plant, which could lead to the release of dangerous substances into the air,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Spanish journalists in Kiev over the weekend. “We are discussing all this with our partners so that everyone understands why Russia is doing this, and we are putting political pressure on the Russian Federation so that they don’t even think about it.”
Last week, when the State Emergency Service of Ukraine was conducting radioactive safety drills in the Zaporizhia region, Ukrainian military intelligence reported that a Russian military contingent and Russian-backed nuclear power plant workers were gradually leaving the plant.
“Among the first to leave the station were three Rosatom employees who directed the Russian actions,” Ukrainian military intelligence said in a statement. They were advised to leave by July 5th. “Personnel remaining at the station have been instructed to blame Ukraine in the event of any emergencies.”
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement that the fact that Ukrainian officials were conducting radioactive safety drills in several cities and setting up additional radiation detectors meant that “Kiev is preparing a false flag operation.” However, Zakharova provided no evidence to support her claim. The plant is currently under Russian control.
Earlier last month, Ukrainian spy chief Kyrylo Budanov said Russia was ready to stage a technical disaster at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant. The part most likely to be blown up would be the artificial pond needed to cool the power plant, Budanov said.
The International Atomic Energy Agency has not confirmed Ukraine’s information that the cooling pool is mined, but also stated that it does not have full access to all sites of the power plant.
According to the IAEA, its experts were able to inspect parts of the plant’s cooling system, including some sections of the large cooling pool, which still contains a stable water level needed to cool the reactors. The IAEA experts also conducted regular visits to the reactor blocks and other areas around the site. The IAEA said it still anticipates gaining access to other parts of the site, including the cooling system.
In a previous update on June 21, the IAEA said that while they had not seen any visible mines around the cooling pond, experts were aware that previous mines had been placed outside the plant premises and also at specific locations within the plant, Russian security personnel said they were there for defense purposes.
Zelenskyi has not denied his claims, saying the Russians could blow up the power plant at some point in the future, even if it came back under Ukrainian control, using mines that could be remotely activated. “There may be remote mines – then you can say that everything was fine under the control of the occupiers, but exploded as soon as it returned to Ukraine,” said Zelenskyy.