Zaluzhnyi explains how Russia's nuclear blackmail affects counteroffensive

He said this in an interview with The Washington Post.

Last week, Ukrainian intelligence received information about Russians preparing a terrorist attack on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP). The Commander-in-Chief says that even Russia's nuclear terror will not stop Ukraine's desire to regain control of the plant.

“It doesn’t stop me at all. We are doing our job. All these signals come from outside for some reason: ‘Be afraid of a nuclear strike.’ Well, should we give up?” he commended. 

Situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant

Russian troops occupied Zaporizhzhia NPP in late February 2022. Since then, personnel and military equipment have been permanently stationed there, which the invading forces store in the machine rooms and from time to time bring to positions to shell the territories of the Nikopol district, Dnipropetrovsk region, located on the other side of the Kakhovka reservoir.

An IAEA monitoring mission is working there to ensure that the plant is not used as a military base, that the plant is not attacked or fired upon, and that external power supplies are not interrupted. However, blackouts at the NPP occur constantly. Since last year, Russian troops have started bringing explosives to ZNPP.

In May 2023, Russian forces had placed explosives in the turbine room of the fourth power unit of the occupied Zaporizhzhia NPP. They also almost completely destroyed the emergency preparedness and response system at the nuclear power plant.

On June 22, IAEA Director General Grossi said after visiting ZNPP that the situation there was extremely unstable.

The head of Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, said that Russia has completed preparations for a terrorist attack on the Zaporizhzhia NPP.

On June 29, Ukraine launched large-scale exercises in case of a possible terrorist attack at the Zaporizhzhia NPP. The emergency services will be practicing an algorithm of actions in 4 regions.

On June 30, the Main Intelligence Directorate reported that the occupying Russian forces were gradually leaving the ZNPP, and that Ukrainian employees who had signed a contract with Rosatom also received evacuation recommendations. In addition, the plant's staff received an order to blame Ukraine in any emergency situation.

The head of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Main Intelligence Directorate, Kyrylo Budanov, said that Russian troops have prepared everything for a man-made disaster at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.