DISINFO: Ukraine's attack on Zaporizhzhia plant is nuclear terrorism
SUMMARY
Kyiv attacks on the Zaporizhzhia power plant is nuclear terrorism.
The IAEA inspection of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant must be carried out despite Kyiv's attempts to obstruct this process, and their usage of nuclear sites as tools for blackmail and terror.
RESPONSE
A recurring pro-Kremlin narrative about Ukraine attacking the Zaporizhzhia power plant. The claim was neither counterbalanced nor critically challenged in the article.
This is not the first time the Kremlin’s manipulation and disinformation machine has used a deep-seated and very reasonable fear of a nuclear disaster to advance its political and military goals in Ukraine.
In fact, there have been an increasing number of reports that Russia uses the nuclear site as a so-called “sheltered” artillery park, "using the facilities to fire on Ukrainian positions in the belief that Ukraine would not fire back and risk a nuclear accident".
The Ukrainian authorities denied the shelling of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (NPP) and accused Russia of dangerous actions that may cause a nuclear catastrophe.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) warns about the risk of Russia's militarization of the Zaporizhzhia NPP. According to recent data, Russia mined the territory of the plant and placed its military armaments near nuclear reactors and nuclear waste storage facilities.
A video shared by Russian opposition outlet The Insider shows that Russian military vehicles move in and around the plant, some of them (including armored vehicles) moved into the building containing the first of the plant’s six nuclear reactors. Besides this, Russian forces dug trenches and establish firing positions.
Russia has been widely accused of using the plant as a shield from which to launch attacks. Using the plant in this way violates the Geneva Convention, which states that particular care must be taken if "installations containing dangerous forces" are located near the fighting. About 500 Russian troops are reported to be currently at the site.
EU High Representative Josep Borrell condemned Russia’s military activities there and labeled them as a serious and irresponsible breach of nuclear safety rules and another example of Russia’s disregard for international norms.
US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, accused Russia of using the plant as a nuclear shield. “Of course, the Ukrainians cannot fire back lest there be a terrible accident involving the nuclear plant,” he said.
In its recent statement, the Foreign Ministers of the G7 stated that "it is Russia’s continued control of the plant that endangers the region" and demanded Russia to hand back full control over the plant as well as other occupied nuclear facilities to Ukraine.
Read our article Playing with nuclear fire and the Ukraine-joint statement on the situation at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.
For background see: disinformation targeting Ukraine.