Russia has renewed its accusations against Ukraine of shelling the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant to justify new attacks
For the second time in two days, the Russian Federation has officially accused Ukraine of carrying out airstrikes on the territory of the occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.
Analysts at the U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) believe that such disinformation from the Kremlin is directly linked to the aggressor’s preparations for new massive shelling of critical infrastructure and cities in Ukraine.
On May 30 and 31, the occupation administration of the temporarily seized Zaporizhzhia NPP successively reported two alleged Ukrainian strikes on the strategic facility.
According to the occupiers, on May 30, an explosion damaged the machine room of the sixth power unit, and the following day, May 31, the plant’s transport workshop was hit.
The Russian side is, as usual, attempting to shift full responsibility for nuclear risks onto the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and the Southern Defense Forces have categorically refuted the enemy’s latest disinformation campaign.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry emphasized that Russia launches a new wave of such statements ahead of every meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors.
The aim of these actions is to discredit Ukraine on the international stage and divert attention from the fact that the occupiers are militarizing the plant itself.
Independent international observers from the IAEA, who are permanently stationed at the plant, confirmed on May 31 the presence of fresh damage to the machine hall.
Experts noted that the nature of the damage does indeed correspond to the effects of a drone explosion.
However, the agency has not officially determined whose drone it was—Ukrainian or Russian—as the occupiers are restricting access to the site of the incident.
The Institute for the Study of War provided a detailed explanation of the Kremlin’s logic behind the systematic fabrication of such fake news.
Russia is deliberately fabricating accusations of “Ukrainian strikes” on the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant and other civilian facilities in order to justify its own escalatory actions and lay the groundwork for future large-scale strikes deep into Ukraine.
The occupiers plan to use the incident they created as a formal pretext for another wave of missile terror.
IAEA experts documented damage to the turbine hall building at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant
The Armed Forces of Ukraine emphasized that Ukraine did not strike the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. According to them, the reports disseminated by the Russian side are part of an information campaign, while Russia itself continues to use the occupied ZNPP as a tool for nuclear blackmail and a military facility.
The Russian invaders’ claims that the Ukrainian military allegedly struck the territory of the temporarily occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant are yet another cheap propaganda ploy. Ukraine strictly adheres to international law and is not conducting any combat operations on the territory of this civilian nuclear facility.
