Zelenskyy says Russia could blow up Zaporizhzhya NPP remotely, even after its de-occupation
Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Photo:REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko/File Photo)
Even if the Russians hand the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant back to Ukraine, there will be a threat to the whole world, as they could set off explosives remotely, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during a conversation with the Spanish media on July 1.
"We are confident that (the plant) will be transferred with mined elements so that they will have a chance to blow up the plant later," Zelenskyy warned.
“We know for sure that this was considered by the Russian Federation as one of the plans to remotely detonate the plant when it is handed over to us, and this is also very dangerous.”
The Ukrainian head of state emphasized that even when Russia hands over the ZNPP, the IAEA must check everything in detail.
Zelenskyy added that the plant's employees are Ukrainian citizens, but the management is from Russian state nuclear company Rosatom. The Ukrainian leadership was taken away and is now in captivity.
He noted that Russia took the children of some ZNPP employees to its territory to blackmail workers and force them to carry out militants' orders.
"That is, they are living hostages today," Zelenskyy said.
The threat of a Russian attack on ZNPP — What is known
On June 25, the head of Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, said that the Russians had completed preparations for a possible terrorist attack on the occupied Zaporizhzhya NPP. Equipment with explosives was deployed near four of the six reactors.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that the United States currently sees no "imminent" threat of Russian troops blowing up the Zaporizhzhya NPP, noting that American intelligence is watching the developments "very closely."
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