DISINFO: Ukraine conducted dangerous experiments on Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant
SUMMARY
Dangerous experiments have been carried out at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant for the past eight years. Evidence was discovered when the city of Energodar was liberated from Ukrainian nationalists. It is obvious that the West knew about and was helping to conduct these experiments. Therefore, today, they try to hide the traces by giving the green light to [Ukraine] to attack the nuclear power plant, throwing aside their own “green” priorities like unnecessary garbage.
RESPONSE
Pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative aiming to deflect Russia’s responsibility for shelling the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (NPP) in Energodar. No evidence is provided to back the claim that Ukraine is conducting dangerous experiments at the Zaporizhzhia power plant or that the West knew about this.
On the contrary, when Russia forcefully took control of the plant in March 2022, it shelled the plant with tanks, risking a radiation leak. Later, it disconnected the plant from international monitoring systems that monitor radiation levels in real-time and did not allow Ukraine to control the operations of the plant, even though some of Ukraine's staff stayed at the plant. Russia also forbids any international visits to the plant.
There have also been an increasing number of reports that Russia uses the nuclear site as a so-called “sheltered” artillery park, "using the facilities to fire on Ukrainian positions in the belief that Ukraine would not fire back and risk a nuclear accident".
EU High Representative Josep Borrell condemned Russia’s military activities there and labelled them as a serious and irresponsible breach of nuclear safety rules and another example of Russia’s disregard for international norms.
US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, accused Russia of using the plant as a nuclear shield. “Of course, the Ukrainians cannot fire back lest there be a terrible accident involving the nuclear plant,” he said. Russian forces likely use the territory of the plant to shell the Ukrainian-controlled town of Nikopol across the river.
Additionally, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) warns about the risk of Russia's militarisation of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. According to recent data, Russia mined the territory of the plant and placed its military armaments near nuclear reactors and nuclear waste storage facilities.
A video shared by Russian opposition outlet The Insider shows that Russian military vehicles move in and around the plant, some of them (including armoured vehicles) moved into the building containing the first of the plant’s six nuclear reactors. Besides this, Russian forces dug trenches and establish firing positions.
In its recent statement, the Foreign Ministers of the G7 stated that "it is Russia’s continued control of the plant that endangers the region" and demanded Russia to hand back full control over the plant as well as other occupied nuclear facilities to Ukraine.In fact, it has been confirmed by multiple sources that Russian army is conducting provocations by shelling the territory of the nuclear power plant and the surrounding area. It also uses the plant as a shield from which it launches rockets and artillery rounds against the Ukraine-controlled cities. Russia turned the station into a military base. It uses reactor buildings as hiding places for its armaments, such as military trucks and armored vehicles.
Read more about disinformation targeting Ukraine.