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US supplies Ukraine with intel for strikes on Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant: Russian official

Tuesday, 13 September 2022 9:21 AM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 13 September 2022 10:09 AM ]

A view shows the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant outside the city of Enerhodar in the Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine, on August 22, 2022. (File photo by Reuters)

The head of Russia’s Security Council says Washington has been supplying Kiev with crucial intelligence on the location of critical facilities for shelling around the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.

Speaking at a security meeting on Monday, Nikolay Patrushev said “the shelling of critical facilities of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) by Ukrainian nationalists using heavy guns supplied by NATO countries while target designation is carried out by the United States is a serious threat to radiation safety.”

He warned that the continued attacks on the ZNPP could lead to an unprecedented nuclear catastrophe.

“The consequences of these provocations could be very catastrophic not only for the majority of the population of Ukraine and Russia but also for Europe, and in terms of their scale they could surpass the tragedies that occurred at the nuclear power plants in Chernobyl and Fukushima,” the security official said.

Zaporizhzhia is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe and among the 10 largest in the world. Russian forces seized the plant soon after Moscow launched its “special military operation” in the ex-Soviet country on February 24. Ukraine accuses Russia of storing heavy weapons in the plant. Moscow denies the allegation.

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The plant has come under fire repeatedly in recent weeks, raising concerns of a potential Chernobyl-like nuclear disaster. Both Ukraine and Russia accuse each other of targeting the facility.

On Sunday, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that Ukraine’s attacks on Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant could lead to “catastrophic consequences.”

Putin said Russian specialists at the plant were working to ensure its safety. He said Moscow was ready to continue work with the United Nations’ International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to agree on “non-politicized” solutions to problems at the facility.

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