Europe
Kremlin warns of 'sabotage' at Ukrainian nuclear plant under Russian control
By
Washington Post July 5, 2023
Fredrick Kunkle, Natalia Abbakumova
Washington Post July 5, 2023
A man swimming across the Dnieper River from the Zaporizhzhia nuclear complex, which is under the control of Russian forces, on Aug. 15, 2022. (Heidi Levine/Washington Post)
KRAMATORSK, Ukraine — The Kremlin said Wednesday that Ukraine is preparing an attack on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Russia-occupied territory, raising fears of a disaster as each side accuses the other of potential sabotage at the facility, which Moscow's forces control.
Ukrainian officials, including President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, have warned with increasing frequency in recent days that Russia has planted explosives around the plant's nuclear reactors and has mined its cooling pond.
"The threat of sabotage by the Kyiv regime is high," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov claimed Wednesday without providing any basis for his allegation. Such sabotage could have "catastrophic" consequences, Peskov said.
Ukrainian officials have said the odds of an accidental release of radiation at the Zaporizhzhia plan have increased since the destruction of the Kakhovka dam, an act that Kyiv has blamed on Russian forces.
Russia has denied destroying the dam, which is located in Russian-occupied territory and was under Moscow's control at the time of its collapse.
Peskov on Wednesday blamed the destruction of the dam on Kyiv, but Russia has not provided evidence and has not explained how Ukraine could have carried out such an act. The destruction of the dam, located downstream from the nuclear plant, led to catastrophic flooding and drained the reservoir of water that is needed to cool the reactors and spent nuclear fuel.
Peskov also claimed that Russian forces have taken steps to counter a threat to the plant by Ukraine.
"The situation is quite tense," Peskov said. "The Kyiv regime has repeatedly demonstrated its willingness to not hesitate to do anything; most recently we saw during the bombing of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant, also with horrific consequences."
The nuclear plant has had several close calls because of fighting nearby.
The Institute for the Study of War said in an analysis published Tuesday that while each has escalated its rhetoric, it was "unlikely" that Moscow would create a nuclear disaster.
The institute said that provocative statements — and possibly provocative acts -— are intended as propaganda to accuse Ukraine of irresponsible behavior near the plant ahead of an upcoming NATO leaders' summit.
Russian forces seized control of the nuclear plant and the dam shortly after President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Abbakumova reported from Riga, Latvia.