Russia Issues New Nuclear Warning as Ukraine’s Kursk Invasion Expands
Moscow accuses Ukraine of planning an attack on an nuclear power plant in Kursk.
By Andrew Stanton
Aug 23, 2024 08:30 PM
Russia issued a warning about an alleged Ukrainian attack on a nuclear power plant as Kyiv continues its invasion of Kursk.
Kyiv began its surprise incursion into Kursk which is located in the Ukraine’s Sumy region on the 6th of August. Since the time, Ukrainian forces have seized the control of 1,250 acres (482 acres) from Russian territory, as well as there are 92 towns, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Monday.
The following day, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova told state media outlet Tass that Ukraine has allegedly tried to strike the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) by using a drone, warning that there needs to have an inquiry into the claimed attack by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
“The IAEA must immediately respond to the act of nuclear terrorism on the part of the Kiev regime,” she added.
Ukraine hasn’t commented on about whether they have attempted to take on the NPP. Newsweekcould have no independent authority to confirm Russia’s assertions.
In a statement released on Thursday in a statement on Thursday, the IAEA said that they’d received a report from Russia they had found the remains of drones had been discovered at a distance of 100m (roughly about 328 feet) close to the nuclear plant’s spent fuel storage facility.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi is expected to visit the NPP in the coming week and speak about the alleged attack according to the report.
“Military activity in the vicinity of a nuclear power plant is a serious risk to nuclear safety and security. My visit to KNPP next week will provide us with timely access to independently assess the situation,” the official declared.
Newsweekreached the Ukraine’s foreign ministry by email as well as the IAEA through its contact form for media to request feedback.
The Kursk offensive comes nearly two years since Russian president Vladimir Putin first made the announcement of”special military operation” in Ukraine “special military operation” into Ukraine that has been rejected by U.S. leaders and allies for not having any justification.
Russia initially sought to win an easy victory over Ukraine that was seen as having a weaker army. However, its stronger-than-expected response, bolstered by Western financial support, has blocked Russia from making an easy win, and the war continues to rage on.
Ukraine is believed to have taken greater territory within the Kursk region than Russia has seized in Ukraine since the beginning of the year. This is the first time that foreign forces took over Russian territories after World War II. Zelensky claims that Ukraine had control over at the least 80 settlements within Kursk.
The invasion, which took Russia by surprise and forced Moscow to move resources and personnel away from its frontline attacks in Ukraine.
Regional officials informed Putin this week that 15,000 Kursk residents have been forced to leave their homes because of the invasion.
The war, which began on February 20, 2022 has for a long time caused fears about nuclear weapons in the sense that Russia has nuclear weapons. Additionally, a large portion of the region are driven by nuclear energy.