DISINFO: Ukraine seeks to carry out nuclear terror against the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant
SUMMARY
The desire (of Ukraine) to carry out nuclear terror against the Kursk nuclear power plant is nothing less than the highest level of terrorism. The terrorists planned to seize the nuclear power plant, but fortunately, their actions were not successful.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives about nuclear issues and terrorism in the context of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. This narrative is part of an ongoing pro-Kremlin disinformation campaign linked to recent developments in the Ukrainian advance into Kursk Oblast in August 2024.
There are no independent confirmations that the Ukrainian Armed Forces attempted to attack the Kursk NPP. These accusations against Ukraine aim to distract from the Kremlin’s own nuclear blackmail tactics, including threats to use tactical nuclear weapons and plans to provoke a nuclear disaster at Russian-controlled power plants.
This claim follows a series of baseless accusations related to the Kursk and Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plants. There is no credible or independently verifiable evidence supporting these claims. These fabrications are primarily aimed at inciting fear in the international community regarding Russia's nuclear facilities, as well as justifying Russia's military control over these nuclear sites.
Propaganda uses this claim to increase pressure on Ukraine and to portray itself as a victim to the international community.
Andrey Kovalenko, head of Ukraine's Center for Combating Disinformation, referred to Russia's actions as a 'nuclear provocation'. He emphasised that Russia continues to attempt to incite international concern over its nuclear facilities through such accusations. When these efforts proved ineffective, Putin personally intervened.
Moreover, it is Russia, not Ukraine, that has seized another country's nuclear facility and is using the Zaporizhzhia NPP to conduct hostilities against Ukraine. In April, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell stressed that the drone attack on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant increases the risk of a nuclear accident and that Russia should withdraw from there.
Russia has adopted many reckless actions regarding this facility, including placing military equipment and troops inside its premises, using its surroundings as a base for rocket and missile attacks, and interrupting its power line. In addition, Russia rejected UN proposals to demilitarise the areas surrounding the plant, as it was deliberately waging a fear campaign about the risks of a nuclear disaster in order to advance its goals in Ukraine.
Read similar disinformation cases: Ukraine tried to attack Kursk NPP with a kamikaze drone; Kyiv plans to strike nuclear power plants in Zaporizhzhia and Kursk to blame Russia; Kyiv is preparing a "dirty bomb" near Zaporizhzhia and Kursk nuclear power plants; Neo-Nazis in Kyiv plan to attack the Kursk nuclear plant with the support of Western intelligence; Ukraine intends to attack the Kursk nuclear power plant; Ukraine attacks Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant to blackmail Europe with a new Chernobyl; the US wants to prepare the world for a provocation at the Zaporizhzhia NPP.