Ukraine says Russia considering nuclear plant 'terror' attack, Moscow denies it

Reuters ^ | June 22, 2023

[McGruff]

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday Ukrainian spies had received information showing Russia was considering carrying out a "terrorist" attack at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant involving a release of radiation.

The Kremlin dismissed the allegation as "another lie", and said a team of U.N. nuclear inspectors had visited the plant and rated everything highly.

In a video statement on the Telegram messenger, Zelenskiy said Kyiv was sharing the information about the Russian-occupied facility in southern Ukraine with all its international partners from Europe and the United States to China and India.

"Intelligence has received information that Russia is considering the scenario of a terrorist act at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant - a terrorist act with the release of radiation," he said. "They have prepared everything for this."

[Timber Rattler]

Well, the Russians blew the dam, so why not the nuclear power plant? If they can’t have it then nobody can, right?

[McGruff]

“Zelenskiy did not say what evidence the intelligence agencies based their assertion on.”

[Right_Wing_Madman]

After Ukraine's disastrous counteroffensive probing attack, Ukraine's only hope for survival is US boots on the ground. They need ATACMS missiles to fire at Russian cities to elicit a Russian response against NATO. But I don't think this will work though, as Russia will then carpet bomb Kiev and Europe would prefer to be a spectator for all this.

[Timber Rattler]

Why would he? It’s classified information.

[Timber Rattler]

Russia’s not capable of carpet bombing anything.

[Erik Latranyi]

So, this means Ukraine is staging to blame Russia for blowing up the nuclear plant just as Ukraine blamed Russia for blowing up Nordstream 1 & 2.

[blackdog]

I smell Nuland & Sullivan again. Just think of the neocon clean-up contracts? I’d say they are just itching to split that reactor open. Perfect excuse for direct multinational military intervention. (World War 3)

[dforest]

I figure this is why the push to ignore all the rules for admission into NATO for Ukraine right now.

They will blatantly reverse the soul reason for their own rule of not allowing a nation at war to join or a nation unable to financially participate in order to get active US troops to die in that shathole for the sake of the neocon reset.

The truth is this will start WWIII and most humans have no luxury bunkers to squat in.

[dforest]

You don’t even know what the US is capable or not capable of. But you sure talk tough. LOL

[Rdct29]

Everything that comes out of Zelensky’s mouth stinks of lies and the balls of western elites. He is a desperate rat in a corner and he looks more like one every day. He will try anything to drag Nato in to try to save his sorry ass. They can fight under the rainbow fag, I mean flag.

[Krosan]

It’s very clear that if Russia would be capable of bombing major Ukrainian cities then they would do that instead of wasting their very expensive missiles.

They didn’t hold themselves back in Mariupol, where they were able to fly their bombers.

[MalPearce]

Get ready for the very complicated clown dance... Like the one over the dam.

1. We control it totally. The Ukes ain’t getting anywhere near it. We’ve mined it to buggery and have snipers everywhere.

2. We’re pulling out our boys, in case the Ukes attack on foot. They won’t, and they won’t succeed, but why risk it.

3. All clear!

4. (Boom from inside a totally Russian controlled building)

5. (Russian TV) No, we didn’t lose control to the Ukes. Inconceivable!

6. (Also on Russian TV) No, there wasn’t a cock up on our side. Inconceivable!

7. (Also on Russian TV) Well, it hurt them more than us, we’re not that incompetent and we didn’t lose an inch that we didn’t want to. Maybe we DID do it. Nudge nudge, wink wink. Say no more.

8. (Also on Russian TV) But damn, it was pretty. Tell you what... Let’s do it again. Send them a message.

9. (St Petersburg millbloggers on FR) WHY WOULD RUSSIA WANT TO DO THAT EVEN THOUGH THEY ADMITTED IT? Ukraine must’ve done it. It’s obvious. Even if the Ukes had no means, no motive, no opportunity, no smoking gun, no dead Uke bodies, nothing inbound got caught on the CCTV, no ground incursion, no crater, no remnants of a HIMARS, no drone wreckage, they must of bloody dun it.

Derp. Maybe the Ukes are using Harry Potter invisibility cloaks.

[Jimmy Valentine]

The damage would impact all of Central Europe including Russia. Also Turkey and the Black Sea. Even Putin is not that crazy

[blackdog]

It’s not Putin I’m concerned with. It’s the Biden Alinsky-ites who have gone global. It’s our own state department.

[teevolt]

Disagree. Even recently in Bakmut they could’ve turned the city to rubble. They have powerful glide bombs, artillery, etc. They also have tactical nukes if they decided to go there. Instead Wagner was clearing houses/apartments street block by street block. I think there are a couple reasons for some restraint. One is civilians in Eastern Ukraine are made up of mostly Russian speaking slavs. Two they don’t want to escalate even more with NATO, and/or have China sour on them.

[PGR88]

Here again is the asinine theory that Russia inexplicably blows up important infrastructure that it holds, it uses, it maintains - The Nordstream Pipeline, the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant, the Kakahovkha Dam

And they do this “because Putin bad!”

[Cronos]

The Ukrainian attack has not been "disastrous" as you claim, nor has it been a success.

What it has been is mildly successful in terms of gaining ground but not anywhere near the successes against the Russians in Kharkiv last September nor against the Russians in Kherson last november.

Heavy fighting is continuing since more than two weeks and both sides have taken a lot of casualties (Russian casualty numbers seem to be much higher than Ukrainian ones). The combat was slow, but Ukrainian forces continue their advances while not having the same level of casualties as the Russians did while taking less territory in Bakhmut (and the Russians took 10 months to gain less territory at a higher cost).

This isn't big flashy gains like last year, but the slow speed is to be expected.

Russia has been delaying, not stopping the Ukrainian advance - the Russian military has been using mines and entrenched infantry troops to slow down the advancing Ukrainian forces. Reconnaissance drones and artillery observers then use these locations for Russian artillery to bombard.

It is still too unclear to predict the outcome (quite frankly I would say one should not "predict" anything, just wait and watch) - what we have are the facts of Ukraine's slow advance

is this sustainable for Ukraine? Imho no, but they may be replanning.

is this the end of Ukraine as a state? Definitely NO - the worst case scenario is that it doesn't get the land currently occupied by the Russians. That is the worst case, not Ukraine's survival as you, incorrectly, state

[Cronos]

The Nordstream pipeline destruction — while not proven either way — is still something that Russia could have wanted to do. Why?

1. this was before winter last year, cutting gas to Germany even more — a better chance to put pressure (which ultimately failed)

2. Germany was suing Russia for not fulfilling their obligations to deliver gas trough NordStream. Gazprom breached the contract and has to pay compensations to Germany in Billions. To avoid this happening they only had one option i.e. to pretend that pipeline was damaged by USA or international terrorist clique, so they have an excuse not to pay.

Now I’m not saying that proves it. In fact it doesn’t.

But Putin had possible motives to do it

[Cronos]

Then the K Dam - Russia looked to delay Ukraine’s advance in the south - and it worked.