Putin warns Ukraine over ‘terrorist attacks’ on nuclear plants

Ukrainian attacks on Russian nuclear power plants (NPP) could lead to a global disaster, President Vladimir Putin has warned. He suggested that Kiev think about what could happen if Moscow responded in kind.

Speaking at the plenary session of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) on Thursday, Putin was asked to comment on what Moscow claims are regular Ukrainian raids on the Zaporozhye and Kursk NPPs, both located not far from the frontline.

“Those are very dangerous terrorist acts. One could only imagine what would happen if we responded in kind. What would happen to the whole part of Europe over there.”

Ukraine currently operates three of its own nuclear power plants, one in the south and two in the west of the country.

Russian troops captured the Zaporozhye NPP, the largest facility of this kind in Europe, in the early days of the conflict in 2022. After the entire region overwhelmingly voted to join Russia in the autumn of the same year, the facility was made state property.

As the front line lies not far from the plant, Moscow and Kiev have traded accusations about who is behind several attacks on the facility. The security situation at the plant is being monitored by an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) mission, which has so far refused to assign blame to either side.

Meanwhile, concerns about the security situation at the Kursk NPP arose in early August when Ukraine launched its largest-to-date cross-border incursion into Russia. According to Putin, Kiev has already tried to launch an attack on the plant, which reportedly involved drones. Russia’s deputy envoy to the UN, Dmitry Polyansky has warned that Western reluctance to rein in Kiev could trigger “a nuclear incident with tragic consequences for the whole of Europe.”