By India Today World Desk: Ukraine’s defence intelligence has claimed Russia is plotting a “large-scale provocation” at a nuclear power plant under its control in Zaporizhzhia. Kyiv said that the Kremlin was aiming to disrupt Ukraine’s counteroffensive and that the Russian forces will strike the unit in the southeast of Ukraine, the biggest nuclear power station in Europe.
This comes two days after a top ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin said the Ukraine war could last for decades.
A statement issued by the Kyiv military intelligence flagged that Russia will attack the unit and then report a radioactive leak in order to trigger an international probe that would halt the hostilities, paving time for the Kremlin fighters to regroup.
Backing its claim, Ukraine has said that Russia “disrupted the rotation of personnel of the permanent monitoring mission” of the United Nations’ International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that was scheduled for Saturday. Though Kyiv has not provided any shred of evidence to cement the claim.
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Meanwhile, the White House said it had been monitoring the ongoing conflict closely and that no indication of radioactive material has been leaked. Secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, Oleksiy Danilov, told the BBC that Moscow is bracing for a looming counteroffensive by Kyiv’s forces, which could begin “tomorrow, the day after tomorrow or in a week”. He also said that Kyiv had no “right to make a mistake” and it was an opportunity Ukraine could not “lose”.
RADIOACTIVE LEAK IN ZAPORIZHZHIA NUCLEAR POWER STATION?
Among the 10 biggest nuclear power plants globally, the Zaporizhzhia unit has six reactors that have been shut down for months. The unit requires a qualified staff and adequate power to operate crucial cooling systems or any other safety measure.
Echoing fears akin to the catastrophic losses like the one in Ukraine’s Chernobyl in 1986, Russia’s alleged motive in Zaporizhzhia has fuelled similar fears, coupled with frequent power cuts and a potential disaster in the partially occupied region.
In 1986, a reactor exploded and released fatal radiation and contaminated a vast area. And for a prolonged duration.
RUSSIA STRIKES KYIV, 1 DEAD
At least one person was killed and three were injured in Russia’s night air raid on Kyiv with the defence systems downing at least 20 drones moving towards the capital, city officials said early on Sunday.
Falling drone debris on a gas station killed a 41-year-old man in the city’s Solomyanskyi district, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
“Air defence forces have already destroyed more than 20 UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) moving towards Kyiv,” Klitschko said on the Telegram messaging channel. “But a new wave of drones is coming to the capital. Stay in shelters.”
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