Topline
Moscow on Thursday accused Kyiv of “nuclear blackmail” and escalating tensions surrounding Europe’s largest nuclear power plant ahead of a high-level United Nations visit to the region this week, as officials warn of a looming Chernobyl-like catastrophe at the Russian-occupied plant and Ukrainian troops run disaster drills on nearby frontlines.
Key Facts
Russia’s defense ministry accused Kyiv of planning a “provocation” at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant before UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres’s visit to the region Thursday, according to Russian state-owned media.
Moscow denied claims its troops—who have occupied the plant for months—have deployed heavy weapons in or around the station and said Kyiv was plotting an attack that would see Russia accused of “creating a man-made disaster at the plant.”
The plant is now on the frontline between Russian and Ukrainian forces and both nations trade blame for strikes on the site and accuse the other of stoking nuclear disaster and endangering the world.
Nearby, Ukrainian emergency forces are rehearsing nuclear disaster drills clad in gas masks and hazmat suits in case of an incident at the plant.
Ukrainian officials said the exercises will be repeated in coming days, according to Deutsche Welle.
Key Background
The fate of the Zaporizhzhia plant has captivated attention worldwide and it now sits on the frontline between Russian-occupied and Ukrainian-controlled territory. Both Kyiv and Moscow have waged a war of words over the site, accusing the other of “nuclear blackmail” and reckless disregard for international norms and nuclear safety. The plant is still operated by Ukrainian technicians, reportedly held hostage by Russian forces, and Moscow has been accused of co-opting the site as a base from which to launch attacks and shield troops. Russian forces have reportedly mined the surrounding area and nestled heavy weapons among reactors. Both sides trade blame for shelling near the plant. Reports are difficult, if not impossible, to verify independently and the international community has roundly condemned conflict in the area. The UN’s atomic watchdog has warned the fighting poses a “grave” risk and urged Moscow to allow access to UN inspectors as well as setting up the area around the plant as a demilitarized zone. The Kremlin rejected these calls and said Russia must “protect” the plant from “provocations and terrorist attacks.”
News Peg
Secretary General Guterres arrived in Ukraine on Wednesday. The UN leader, as well as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is set to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the city of Lviv on Thursday. It is expected that the situation at the Zaporizhzhia plant and a deal to resume grain exports across the Black Sea are at the top of the agenda. Guterres is slated to visit the Black Sea port of Odesa on Friday, one of several locations involved in the Turkey- and UN-brokered deal.
Further Reading
Ukraine: Preparing for the worst as situation at nuclear plant ‘approaches critical’ (BBC)
How real is the danger from Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant? (Politico)
‘It’s madness’: Ukraine holds breath as Putin turns nuclear plant into frontline (Guardian)
