Ukraine conflict: Why Russia’s statements about Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant are deeply worrying

It was a nerve-wracking night time for Ukrainians and the anxiousness goes on.

Having a nuclear energy plant in enemy fingers has been the reason for deep concern for Ukrainians all through the conflict. Never extra so than now.

They have simply heard warnings from their president and intelligence chiefs that the plant has been mined with explosives – but additionally worrying statements by the Russians.

War newest: Ukrainians flee – as Russia ‘lays doable explosives on nuclear plant roof’

When Russians declare the Ukrainians are about to do one thing it typically means they’re about to do it themselves, most just lately with the Kakhovka dam shortly earlier than it is believed the Russians blew it up.

So claims by Russians that the Ukrainians have been about to assault the Zaporizhzhia energy plant final night time have been deeply worrying.

The Ukrainian authorities issued directions on tips on how to go away a radiation zone final night time too on social media, doing nothing to calm nerves.

This is what we all know in regards to the plant.

Sky sources on the plant say they’ve observed a discount within the variety of patrols there and Ukrainian army intelligence says it believes Russians have partially withdrawn from the plant. That might or is probably not an indication they’re planning to create an incident there.

The excellent news is, just a few days in the past, the International Atomic Energy Agency stated there have been no indicators of explosives being laid there.

We are within the thick of an info conflict and the Russians have had no qualms about utilizing their management of the plant to unfold concern earlier than.

What worries the Ukrainians most is what Russia did to the Kakhovka dam a month in the past and the muted response from the remainder of the world.

It created a large catastrophe by unleashing the contents of Europe’s second-biggest reservoir, flooding the properties of tens of 1000’s of individuals downstream and depriving the identical variety of water upstream.

Voices within the West condemned the transfer however a delegation of African leaders got here to Ukraine the week after and made little of it, urging each side to de-escalate as a substitute. Their dedication to discover a ethical equivalency between the invaders and the invaded completely infuriated the Ukrainians.

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If Vladimir Putin was testing the water for his subsequent act of mass destruction he’ll hardly have felt deterred, making the Ukrainians’ jitters over Zaporizhzhia all of the extra comprehensible.