New York, October 26, 2024 – The Europe Today: Moscow’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Vassily Nebenzia, has alleged that Western intelligence services, particularly the British MI6, have been systematically training Ukrainian operatives to execute provocations at nuclear power plants within Russia. Speaking at an informal UN Security Council meeting on Friday, Nebenzia warned that Ukrainian efforts to target Russian nuclear sites could push Europe into a potential “radiation nightmare.”
Nebenzia claimed that Russian authorities possess “credible information” indicating that Ukrainian sabotage groups, with backing from foreign intelligence, have prepared operations aimed at critical infrastructure, including plans to sever power lines connecting nuclear facilities to Russia’s national grid. He emphasized that these attempts by Ukraine and its allies were “beyond reckless” and posed severe risks to regional stability.
The Russian envoy further criticized accusations leveled at Moscow by certain international representatives, who, he argued, unjustly blamed Russia for endangering the safety of the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), which Russian forces have controlled since March 2022. “The reckless attacks on the ZNPP are a deliberate terrorist strategy of Ukraine,” Nebenzia claimed, countering accusations against Moscow. Both Russia and Ukraine have previously exchanged blame for shelling incidents at ZNPP, while the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has confirmed attacks without identifying a responsible party.
Referring to Ukraine’s recent incursion into Russia’s Kursk region, which reportedly began in August, Nebenzia alleged that Ukrainian forces also plotted to attack the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant, intending to capture and rig the facility with explosives. The Russian military, he noted, successfully thwarted these plans, preventing what he described as a “large-scale technogenic catastrophe.”
Nebenzia called on international organizations, including the UN and the IAEA, to formally condemn these “provocative actions” by Ukraine and work to prevent further escalation.
