Explaining complex things in simple words: Provocations at ZNPP, flooding in Russia, negotiation initiatives

The Center for Strategic Communication and Information Security pursues efforts to provide a brief explanation to foreign audiences on the current topics of particular interest as regards Ukraine. 

PROVOCATIONS AT ZAPORIZHZHIA NPP

On April 7, the IAEA reported an explosion of an unknown drone, as well as three direct hits on the facilities of the Zaporizhzhia NPP.

▪ According to IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi, this is the first direct attack on the main structures of the ZNPP containment since November 2022.

▪ Ukraine is not involved in any provocations on the territory of the temporarily occupied ZNPP. Radiation safety is the highest priority for the Defence Forces, in particular those performing tasks in the Zaporizhzhia Oblast.

▪ It is because of Russian provocative shelling, the illegal and negligent “management” of the ZNPP by the Russians that the plant is always on the verge of a man-made disaster. The Ukrainian power grid saves the station from the danger of blackout.

▪ The ZNPP incidents are also a form of Russian nuclear blackmail directed both against Ukraine and the international community—those who treat the threat of radiation pollution responsibly.

▪ Russia must immediately withdraw from all ZNPP facilities. Only this will restore control over an important nuclear power facility, properly ensure compliance with all international standards established for such objects.

FLOODING IN RUSSIA’S ORENBURG REGION

On April 5-6, a series of dam breaks took place on the Ural River, which flooded the territory with several settlements of the Orenburg region of the Russian Federation.

▪ The cause of the disaster in the Orenburg region is Russian negligence and mismanagement. The authorities of the Russian Federation cannot provide a normal life for their citizens. The country has been in a state of a permanent crisis for years.

▪ The Putin regime has directed all resources to the war with Ukraine; meanwhile in Russia, everything is worn out, fails, breaks down. The safety of Russians has never been and is not a priority for the Kremlin.

▪ It is symbolic that only 2 weeks ago, on March 22, Russian war criminals tried to cause a similar catastrophe in Ukraine by attacking the Dnipro dam with missiles.

▪ Russia is responsible for the catastrophe in summer 2023, when the occupiers intentionally blew up the dam of the Kakhovka HPP, which led to the flooding of a number of settlements in the Kherson Oblast.

▪ Soon, the Kremlin may again start looking for the “Ukrainian trace” in the events in the Orenburg region, as it is usually the case when crisis events happen in the territory of the Russian Federation.

NEGOTIATION INITIATIVES

The media are discussing the so-called “peace plan” of U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump, which allegedly provides for Ukraine's abandonment of the occupied territories of Crimea and the Donbas.

▪ It should be borne in mind that reports about the so-called “Trump plan” are based on unnamed and unverified sources.

▪ Ukraine consistently adheres to the principle of territorial integrity and the restoration of control over the internationally recognized border.

▪ Ukraine does not trade in people and territories with the aggressor. No country or political force will force Ukraine to reconsider its position.

▪ Russia must be held accountable for its criminal actions in Ukraine. Any encouragement of the aggressor with Ukrainian territories is unacceptable and has a devastating impact on the international security architecture.

▪ The assumption about the alleged desire of some part of Ukrainians to live under Russian occupation is nothing more than Russian disinformation. The truth is that the total terror of the Russian invaders reigns in the temporarily occupied territories. There are no basic conditions for real expression of will.

Center for Strategic Communication and Information Security