Ukraine: Ukraine’s Defense Ministry issues a stark warning that Russia intends to stage a simulated catastrophe at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station, currently under Russian control. The alleged motive behind this plan is to disrupt Ukraine’s anticipated counteroffensive to reclaim its territories captured by Moscow.

Europe’s largest nuclear power station, located in the region of Zaporizhzhia in southern Ukraine, has become a target of ongoing shelling. The area is currently under Russian occupation, and both sides involved in the conflict continue to accuse each other of initiating these hazardous attacks.

With Ukraine’s anticipated counteroffensive drawing near, concerns have escalated over the potential for a nuclear catastrophe amidst the heightened military activities surrounding Zaporizhzhia. Reports of radioactive material leaking from the plant would cause a global incident and force an investigation by international authorities, during which all hostilities would be stopped, the directorate said. Russia would then use that pause in fighting to regroup its forces and better prepare to stop the Ukrainian counteroffensive, the intelligence service said.

According to experts, in the event of reports indicating a radiation leak at the plant, prompt evacuations would be necessary, which could pose significant challenges in a war-torn region. Moreover, these experts emphasize that, for many individuals, the fear of radiation contamination may be more perilous than the actual radiation itself.

Eyewitnesses reported that Russian military forces were fortifying defensive positions both within and in the vicinity of the nuclear power plant last week, in anticipation of Ukraine’s long-awaited counteroffensive. Previously, Zaporizhzhia played a crucial role by supplying around 20 percent of Ukraine’s electricity.

Despite being subjected to frequent shelling during the early stages of Russia’s invasion, the power plant managed to operate until September, when it ceased all power production. Since then, none of Ukraine’s six Soviet-era reactors have been operational in generating electricity. However, the Zaporizhzhia facility still remains connected to the Ukrainian power grid to meet its own requirements, particularly for cooling the nuclear reactors at the plant.

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