President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky received information from Ukrainian intelligence and the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) that Russia had prepared everything for a possible terrorist attack at the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) with a release of radiation. He posted a video message on Telegram:
“Unfortunately, I have repeatedly had to remind that radiation does not know state borders and who it hits is determined only by the direction of the wind. We share all the information we have with our partners – everyone in the world. All evidence. Europe, America, China, Brazil, India, the Arab world, Africa – all countries, absolutely everyone should know this. International organizations. All".
According to him, this time should not be like the accident at the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station, so the world must be warned and must act.
Earlier, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are preparing for further offensive actions, the Russian Armed Forces are also "preparing for these steps." On the morning of June 22, the "authorities" of the annexed Crimea and the Kherson region reported that they had attacked the bridges connecting the peninsula and the region. Russian President Vladimir Putin at a meeting asked Shoigu to assess the threat in the NVO zone, taking into account new planned deliveries of Western equipment. Shoigu replied that, taking into account previous losses, the supplies "would not significantly affect the course of hostilities."
In August 2022, The Insider sources reported that suspicious activity of Russian soldiers was observed at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant in Energodar. The publication obtained a video showing Russian military trucks entering the territory of the nuclear power plant and unloading some kind of cargo. Probably, the troops stockpiled ammunition at the nuclear power plant in the immediate vicinity of the power units. Since March last year, both sides have been accusing each other of impending provocations.
Nuclear physicist Andriy Ozharovsky and former member of the Collegium of the State Inspectorate for Nuclear Regulation of Ukraine Olga Kosharna explained in a conversation with The Insider that in the event of an emergency, the station should be saved by backup diesel generators. However, if the destruction of the reactor or the waste storage does occur, the consequences will be very serious: depending on the weather conditions, the radioactive cloud, in addition to Ukraine, may affect Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey and the Krasnodar Territory.