US Silent on Kiev's Strikes on Zaporozhye NPP, Contributing to Possible Nuclear Disaster - Russia

In a conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron earlier on Friday, Vladimir Putin stressed that the Ukrainian shelling of the largest nuclear power plant in Europe threatens a catastrophe.

The United States keeps silent about Kiev's strikes on the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant (NPP) and the situation on the ground, thus contributing to a possible nuclear disaster, a letter from Russia to the UN Security Council reads.

"The US is keeping silent on objective data about the shelling and the situation at the nuclear power plant, thereby encouraging impunity for the Kiev regime and contributing to a possible nuclear catastrophe in Europe. [...] It is no coincidence that the media widely quotes the conclusions of experts of the American Arms Control and Disarmament Agency and some other similar institutions of Western countries, rather than the IAEA, which is entitled to such conclusions that a large-scale catastrophe at ZNPP seems unlikely to occur."

It continued: "According to them, the concrete shelters of its nuclear reactors are 10 metres thick, and the plant was also designed and built to cope with incidents such as the downing of a civilian aircraft. However, it cannot be ruled out that a dierct hit by large-calibre artillery shells into a dry storage facility for spent nuclear fuel would result in radiocative contamination of the area within a radius of up to 20 km, and an emergency situation at a nuclear reactor within 30 km at most. It is stressed that the risks of radiation spreading across Europe are estimated to be minimal. Thus, according to US experts, the consequences of the nuclear incident at Zaporozhye NPP would be limited and would not affect the territory of European countries."

The letter was circulated among the members of the UNSC, with information about the Ukrainian provocations at the largest nuclear power plant in Europe.

‼️We circulated among #UNSC members a letter containing information on the provocations by Ukrainian🇺🇦 regime against the Zaporozhye #NPP & their potential consequences. ⬇️⬇️⬇️ pic.twitter.com/GsfHLT6tjZ

— Russia at the United Nations (@RussiaUN) August 19, 2022

According to the letter, the Ukrainian forces are planning artillery strikes at the NPP from Nikopol:

"This 'spectacle' will be accompanies by public warnings about rising radiation levels and other 'special effects.' The staging is being carried out in order to influence the UN Secretary-General and the international community to cover up decisions favourable to Kiev. The ultimate goal of the provocation is to create an exclusion zone of up to 30 km, to bring international forces and foreign observers to ZNPP territory, and to accuse the Russia Armed Forces of nuclear terrorism."

Over the past few weeks, the Ukrainian forces have intensified strikes on the NPP, with the Russian side warning of imminent provocations at the plant by Kiev. On Thursday, the Russian Defense Ministry warned that Kiev was preparing a false flag attack on the plant, timed to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' visit to Ukraine, scheduled for Friday.

The ministry released a map, showing possible consequences of a planned Ukrainian attack on the Zaporozhye NPP, that suggested that if an accident at the plant occurs, radioactive substances will engulf Poland, Germany and Slovakia. Such substances would also reach Scandinavia, with the release of 25% of the contents of at least one reactor of the NPP, according to the Russian MoD.

“The Ukrainian side, together with their US handlers, tries to play the card and cause, in their opinion, a minor accident at the Zaporozhye NPP, disrupting its normal and safe operation and pointing the finger at Russia," the Russian Defense Ministry said.

If the NPP's standby diesel generators and mobile pumps fail in the event of an emergency, the facility's active zone will overheat and the reactor units will be destroyed, which will be accompanied by the release of radioactive substances into the atmosphere. These would then spread over hundreds of kilometers, according to the MoD.

The Russian MoD had warned that the Ukrainian regime planned a false flag attack on August 19 with an eye to blaming Russia for the consequences of the strikes.

Earlier in the day, Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone talk with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, warning him that Kiev's incessant shelling of the Zaporozhye NPP threatened a catastrophe. He also confirmed Russia's readiness to provide assistance to a delegation of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) during their visit to the plant.