Kremlin realizes that it will pay huge price for terrorist attack on Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, says General Hodges 

This was stated by General Ben Hodges, former Commander of the U.S. Army in Europe, during an interview on Espreso.

"Russia can create a catastrophe at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, and there is a possibility of that happening. We have seen on multiple occasions that the lives of civilians do not concern the Russians. I expect China, India, Turkey, and Western countries to call on the Kremlin and continue to emphasize that this is a 'red line' in every possible way. They will say that if this happens, all those responsible will be immediately held accountable. The threat indeed remains, but the Kremlin leadership understands that it will pay a huge price if it dares to take such a radical step," he believes.

The Threat of Terrorism and the Situation at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant

The Russians occupied the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant at the end of February 2022. Since then, there has been a constant presence of personnel and military equipment, which the occupiers store in machine rooms and occasionally deploy to positions for shelling the territories of the Nikopol district in the Dnipropetrovsk region, located on the other side of the Kakhovka Reservoir.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has a monitoring mission at the station, which is supposed to ensure that the nuclear power plant is not used as a military base, that the station is not attacked, and that no fire is initiated from it. Power outages at the nuclear power plant occur regularly though. Occupiers began importing explosives to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant last year.

It became known in May 2023 that the Russians had placed explosives in the turbine compartment of the fourth power unit of the occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. Additionally, the occupiers have nearly completely destroyed the emergency readiness and response system at the nuclear power plant.

On June 22, the Director-General of the IAEA, Grossi, stated that the situation at the plant is extremely unstable after visiting the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. On the same day, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that intelligence had received information that Russia was considering a scenario for a terrorist act at the temporarily occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which would cause a radiation release. He also emphasized that the world has sufficient strength to prevent any radiation incidents and even a radiation catastrophe – action must be taken and pressure must be applied. However, the spokesperson for the President of the Russian Federation, Dmitry Peskov, called Zelenskyy's statement a lie.

In turn, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine expects a clear assessment from the IAEA regarding Russia's criminal actions and has appealed to the international community, including the Group of Seven (G7) and the European Union, to take urgent measures to prevent a nuclear catastrophe at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.

In the event of a terrorist act at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, the Russian occupation forces in Enerhodar will not be able to control its consequences. Presumably, by indicating preparations for sabotage at the plant, the Russians are trying to persuade the Armed Forces of Ukraine to refrain from conducting counteroffensive operations in this area, according to a report by the Institute for the Study of War.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs has established headquarters for assistance, and rescue teams will conduct training to mitigate the consequences of a possible terrorist attack by Russians at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.

The Head of the Main Intelligence Directorate, Kyrylo Budanov, stated that Russia has completed preparations for a terrorist act at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.

On June 25, Zelenskyy held talks with Biden, Trudeau, and Duda, noting that "the world is not reacting adequately to the situation at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant."

Dnipropetrovsk region is preparing for a possible accident at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. This was announced by the Chief of the Regional Military Administration, Serhiy Lysak, during a briefing.

Oleh Buriak, the Head of the Zaporizhzhia Regional State Administration, stated that an action plan for the evacuation of people in the event of an explosion at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant has been approved and practiced.

On June 29, special training will be conducted among the citizens in Zaporizhzhia in case of an emergency situation at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.