Ukrainian forces shelled the grounds of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant yesterday, sparking Russian accusations of nuclear blackmail by the Kiev regime. “The Ukrainian armed forces are carrying out artillery shelling in the area of the ZNPP fuel storage facilities. As a result of the shelling, dry grass caught fire in the adjacent territory. The distance from the source of the fire to the diesel fuel tanks is approximately 400 meters. There is currently no threat to the main infrastructure facilities,” said a statement posted on the plant’s Telegram channel, reported TASS.
There was no structural damage, no casualties among the workforce and the fire was quickly contained. Nonetheless, “It should be noted that the plant’s auxiliary facilities, including the fuel storage facilities, are structurally less protected than the reactor buildings. Such attacks go beyond all conceivable design safety bases. A fire in the fuel storage facilities, where fuel necessary for the plant’s operation is stored, could lead to catastrophic consequences,” the statement pointed out.
Senator Igor Kastyukevich, a Federation Council member from the Kherson Region, told TASS on Sept. 16 that the Kiev regime is escalating its tactics, engaging in nuclear blackmail by targeting the ZNPP. “Zelenskyy, in his desperation, continues to make reckless errors,” he said. “He first expressed disappointment with international partners, then began shelling near the fuel depots at the Zaporozhye NPP. It appears his regime has resumed nuclear blackmail—a tactic that British advisors once suggested they might consider. However, the current situation is different; these actions are another salvo aimed at undermining international norms and institutions.”
Kastyukevich warned that because the ZNPP is the largest nuclear plant in Europe, “The potential consequences of its destabilization should be clearly understood by Ukraine’s European partners.”
