The Ukrainian leader’s claims that Russia is planning to stage a provocation at the Zaporozhye NPP are untrue, the Kremlin has said
Power units of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant in Energodar. © Konstantin Mikhalchevsky; RIA Novosti
Vladimir Zelensky’s unfounded allegations that Russia is supposedly planning a terrorist attack on the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) with a release of radiation are “yet another lie,” insisted Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Thursday.
The official told journalists that Russia has been in contact with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and has been working with its representatives on the ground at the ZNPP – Europe’s largest atomic energy station – after fears emerged that it may have been damaged following the destruction of the Kakhovka dam earlier this month.
Peskov noted that the IAEA has given “a very high assessment” of the situation at the facility.
“They saw everything – everything they wanted to see,” Peskov said, adding that there are plans in the very near future to hold a meeting between the head of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi, and the head of Rosatom Alexei Likhachev.
“Our dialogue and cooperation with the IAEA continues, we are interested in continuing these contacts. And the IAEA is interested. Everything else is a lie,” the Kremlin spokesman emphasized.
Peskov’s comments come after Zelensky stated in a Telegram post on Thursday that he had allegedly received information from the Security Service of Ukraine and intelligence sources that Moscow was “considering a scenario of a terrorist attack at the Zaporozhye NPP,” which would include a release of radiation from the facility.
The Ukrainian leader’s message appeared mere hours after it was revealed that the head of the IAEA Grossi would arrive in Kaliningrad to hold a meeting with Likhachev on Friday.
In his warning, Zelensky did not provide any details about Russia’s supposed plans but stated that Ukraine is “passing all available information to our partners – everyone in the world.” He added that “this time it should not be like with Kakhovka: the world has been warned, therefore, the world can and must act.”
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Meanwhile, Russian has insisted that Kiev was behind the destruction of the Kakhovka dam and said that Ukraine’s military had targeted it on several occasions throughout the past year.
Moscow has also repeatedly accused Kiev’s forces of targeting the ZNPP with drones and artillery. The latest attempted attack was reported on June 9 when Russian air defenses allegedly intercepted three drones armed with explosives heading for the nuclear facility.
Located in the Zaporozhye region, which officially became part of Russia last September, the ZNPP has been under Russian control since March 2022 and is currently operated by Rosatom.
