August M
The safety of global energy grids usually relies on strict international treaties. When massive geopolitical conflicts heat up, however, even industrial facilities can quickly become pawns in a dangerous psychological game.
A fresh wave of aggressive rhetoric has just escalated those fears, reports The Express.
Catastrophic warnings
A senior official in Moscow issued a direct warning that Russia could target Western infrastructure with devastating military action. According to a report by The Express, Dmitry Medvedev raised the stakes by warning of a major disaster.
Medvedev said: “It is obvious that in the event of the catastrophic destruction of a nuclear power plant’s turbine hall or reactor hall, a new Chernobyl will ensue. And this is not one whit better than the use of tactical nuclear weapons.”
The chilling threat did not stop there. The official made it clear that Moscow would expand its targets if its own positions faced danger.
Medvedev stated: “The response to such actions could be a symmetrical strike against Ukrainian NPPs [nuclear power plants], as well as against NPPs in NATO countries involved in the conflict.”
Bitter blame game
This stance followed claims that a drone hit the Zaporizhzhia power plant. Alexei Likhachev, head of the Russian atomic energy corporation Rosatom, claimed a device breached the facility.
Likhachev said: “This is the first targeted attack on the main equipment of a nuclear power plant in history, with a through-penetration and damage to the machine room building.” He then wondered: “What’s next? Attacks directly on the turbine? The reactor hall? The reactor and safety systems?”
Leaders in Kyiv strongly denied the allegations. They noted that their troops are not close enough to launch a drone at that location.
In a response, the military declared: “Ukrainian Defence Forces DID NOT strike the No. 6 power unit of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.” They added the claim was “another attempt to discredit Ukraine and hide their own criminal actions.”
Nuclear terrorism
Ukrainian officials argued that Moscow is fabricating these threats to terrify the international community.
A formal statement from Kyiv explained that these “systematic manipulations around issues of nuclear safety are integral parts of the policy of nuclear terrorism, which Russia is pursuing against Ukraine and the international community.”
They insisted they act “exclusively within the framework of the norms of international humanitarian law and are aware of the consequences of any actions regarding nuclear facilities”.
Sources: The Express
