Zelensky: Russians may carry out a terrorist attack on ZNPP to stop AFU's counteroffensive

Russia has prepared everything technically for a localized explosion at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP) and may carry it out to stop the counteroffensive actions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) and to exert political pressure on Kyiv through some of its partners.

President Volodymyr Zelensky stated this at a joint press conference with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in Kyiv, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"It is obviously important for Russians today, after the weakness on the battlefield they have demonstrated over the past year, to stop us with some unexpected terrorist acts such as the blowing up of the Kakhovka dam and a possible localized explosion at ZNPP. They do it to show that this war is dangerous for the world. They make it look like they didn't do it. Russians want to scare people, so that later certain partners, especially skeptics, will begin to politically stop Ukraine and its counteroffensive actions. This is what Russia may be planning for," Zelensky emphasized.

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He reminded that there is a serious threat of such a terrorist attack. Russia is technically prepared to provoke a local explosion that could lead to the release of hazardous substances.

The President said that regarding the situation at ZNPP, Ukraine is actively communicating with international partners to put political pressure on Moscow so that Russia "does not even think about it".

The Head of State emphasizes the need to return Ukrainian control over the plant. But he notes that the moment of transition is very important and should be carried out through the IAEA.

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"The IAEA is an intermediary and can, by the way, involve other partners. There are states that are not averse to joining this process. The moment control is transferred from Russia to Ukraine is very important for everything to be checked. There may be remote mining, so that later they can say that everything was fine when it was under their control, and now there is a release. This is an important point," Zelensky said.

As Ukrinform reported, Russians temporarily occupied ZNPP on March 4, 2022.

On June 22, 2023, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced Russia's plans to stage a terrorist attack at ZNPP.