Another Chernobyl?

On April 25 “The Irish Times” published an article by the campaigner for nuclear disarmament Adi Roche entitled “We Can’t Let Zaporizhzhia Become Another Chernobyl”. Her concern about current situation around Zaporozhye nuclear power plant (ZNPP) is justified and we share it – there is, indeed, a risk of catastrophe there, reminding of Chernobyl disaster. At the same time, we would like to be very clear – that risk does not come from Russia.

Nuclear safety and security has always been and remains top priority for Russia. This applies entirely to the ZNPP, which is now under Russian control, where comprehensive nuclear management measures are employed to ensure the plant’s safety. There is a military contingent constantly deployed at the station with a sole purpose to make sure the plant is safeguarded. These units do not possess heavy artillery and do not take part in the ongoing military operations. All that is well documented by the IAEA observers who are present at the site.

The real danger and cause of grave concern come from the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF), which have been targeting the ZNPP and its personnel with artillery fire and drone attacks (unless, of course, one would entertain entirely weird idea that Russians are hitting Russians). That is a provocation, pure and simple, designed, in Kiev regime’s cynical view, as an attempt to blackmail Russia into surrendering control of the ZNPP. That won’t work.

The sad part is that these attacks are encouraged by the Western sponsors, who provide the UAF with all necessary assistance in conducting them (military advisory, technology, equipment, satellite navigation, training etc). The net result of such “creative” military tactic is that the entire European region is being held hostage to the Ukrainian authorities’ desperate desire to change their hopeless position on the battlefield. To admit this reality is obviously beyond russophobic mentality of the current political elites and media in the West who have been generally silent on the matter.

For any reasonable person, no military or political goals can justify the attacks on the biggest nuclear plant in Europe. That may not be a convincing argument for the US administration which probably thinks it is a safe play being far enough across the Atlantic and, generally, could not care less about Europe anyway. But it may be high time for all Europeans, who risk falling victims of new artificial “Chernobyl”, to stop turning a blind eye on life-threatening games by the Kiev regime.