Kiev’s Provocations Against ZNPP May Cause Nuclear Disaster

Tuesday, November 22, 2022

Lucas Leiroz, researcher in Social Sciences at the Rural Federal University in Rio de Janeiro; geopolitical consultant.

Kiev’s irresponsible actions against the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) could lead the Ukrainian conflict to a nuclear disaster, according to an expert interviewed by a Russian media outlet. Moscow has repeatedly urged the Ukrainian government to stop targeting the plant during its bombings, as well as has called on international organizations to pay attention to the situation and condemn Kiev for its crimes. However, international silence and incessant bombing threaten the population of the newly integrated Russian territory.

Renat Karchaa, an adviser to Rosenergoatom, a subsidiary of Russia’s state-owned nuclear power corporation Rosatom, said to media on November 21 that a nuclear disaster is about to happen any time in Zaporozhye, in case of new shelling. According to Karchaa, the instability in the energy supply for the reactors could lead to leaks and contamination, which would be a real disaster.

“A nuclear disaster could take place. A nuclear reactor is working, its power supply stops because of the shelling (…) How could a reactor be cooled down? Not cooling it down could lead to the reactor’s overheating, and then it could result in a disaster”, the expert said during the interview.

The day before, Nov. 20, spokespersons for the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation had reported a new Ukrainian bombing against the ZNPP. The attack was operated with heavy artillery armament. Russian intelligence detected the presence of 155 caliber projectile debris in the plant’s strategic facilities. This type of weapon is of western origin and supplied to Kiev by NATO.

This is not the first time that this type of weaponry has been seen in Zaporozhye. Since September, Western projectiles have been used by the Ukrainian armed forces and neo-Nazi militias to damage the plant’s facilities. The case only illustrates the whole reality of today’s Ukraine: the pro-Maidan forces only continue to have operational capacity due to the military and financial support received from their western allies. In practice, Kiev is given weapons to commit crimes, as can be seen with the constant murder of Russian “collaborators” and prisoners as well as the bombing of civilian zones, such as the ZNPP region.

Ukrainian responsibility for these crimes is shared with the West. Without NATO’s help, Kiev would already be without equipment to use in its attacks against ZNPP and other regions, which would neutralize the risks of nuclear disaster. It is the constant sending of weapons that generates nuclear unsafety, which is why NATO must be blamed alongside Kiev for these strikes.

For the West, apparently, leaks of radioactive material and the possible death of thousands of people is not a humanitarian tragedy to be avoided at all costs, but a mere “side effect” that must be assumed in the proxy aggression against Russia. There are no longer any limits to the praxis of the NATO-Kiev axis, whose objective is to bring the conflict to its ultimate consequences. This scenario clearly shows which side is cooperating to resolve the crisis as quickly as possible and which is purposely fomenting chaos in Eastern Europe.

An important step towards ending the nuclear threat would be the support by international organizations for Russia. However, international observers try to maintain a kind of “neutrality” when analyzing the ZNPP case, avoiding pointing out the real culprits. UN atomic sector chief Rafael Grossi, for example, while frequently denouncing the risk of contamination, claims that there are bombings from “both sides” and that “it is not possible” to identify who is really hitting the plant, which is incorrect.

International observers witnessed the Ukrainian bombings very clearly. And, even if during military operations it is difficult to identify those responsible for the attacks, the fact that the projectiles used are supplied by NATO should be a sufficient argument to prove that Kiev is the guilty party for these crimes. However, the UN nuclear team prefers to avoid indisposition with the western world and the NATO countries, abdicating from accusing the US proxy and adopting a “neutral” discourse, which does not contribute to the security of the region.

To achieve nuclear security, avoid unnecessary disasters and escalations, three things are necessary: classify Kiev and NATO as the real culprits, recognize Zaporozhye as territory belonging to the Russian Federation, out of contestation and military dispute, and finally condemn absolutely any Western military support to the Ukrainians. Only with the UN taking these positions there will be hope for a peaceful resolution of the ZNPP situation. Otherwise, a serious escalation may occur, as Moscow will be forced to increase military pressure until it manages to completely destroy the Ukrainian artillery in order to prevent further bombing.

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Source: InfoBrics