DISINFO: Ukraine may blow the Zaporizhzhia nuclear site up to cover up the failure of the counteroffensive
SUMMARY
The Ukrainian counteroffensive is in its third wave and there is no trace of a Russian defeat [...]. Both Kyiv and its partners are running out of patience and need an impulse, and a nuclear provocation may come handy.
The offensive has made small advances in rural areas, in attacks against civilian populations in Donetsk and in the destruction of the Kakhovka dam.
With the NATO summit as background, neither Kyiv nor the West know how to continue with their strategy, so some wish an abrupt change of course and to adopt drastic and desperate decisions regarding the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant
RESPONSE
This disinformation story is part of a wider attempt to manipulate the information space regarding the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant controlled by Russian occupation forces, by baselessly accusing Ukraine of preparing a nuclear incident at the site. No evidence is provided to back the allegation.
In late June 2023, Ukrainian intelligence services accused Russian forces of planting mines on the cooling pond of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. Almost immediately, the Russian government reacted by affirming that it was Ukraine who planned to attack the plant. On 05 July, inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency were authorised to visit the plant and found no visible indications of mines or explosives, but requested additional access to fully confirm it.
Specifically, Ukrainian authorities accused Russia of placing explosives on the rooftop of reactors 3 and 4. Satellite images taken on 05 July show how some unidentified shapes appeared on the rooftop of reactor 4 that day. IAEA head Rafael Grossi said again on 07 July that its experts “need more access, including to the rooftops of reactor units 3 and 4 and parts of the turbine halls“, as they couldn’t examine these areas of special concern. After the IAEA visit, the head of Ukrainian military intelligence Kyrylo Budanov said the threat had receded. However, on 08 July Ukraine’s intelligence affirmed that Russian forces continued to mine the plant.
By providing a plausible explanation for Ukraine’s motives to blow the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, this disinformation story preemptively prepares the ground in case Russia is indeed preparing a sabotage operation in the facility. It also serves to promote other pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives, such as accusations of Ukrainian attacks against civilians in Donbas and falsely blaming Ukraine for the deliberate destruction of the Kakhovka dam despite mounting evidence pointing to Russia’s responsibility (see here for a full debunk).
See other examples of similar disinformation narratives in our database, such as claims that UK is supervising the preparation of a provocation at Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, that the US wants to prepare the world for a provocation at the Zaporizhzhia NPP, or that Ukraine will blackmail Russia with setting up a second Chernobyl nuclear disaster.
This disinformation story appeared in the same TV programme as the claim that “NATO bases in Ukraine would be an existential threat to Russia”