Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has warned that the “Neo-Nazi Kiev regime” poses a threat to all of Europe by planning to attack nuclear facilities in Russia.
Zakharova in a statement on Saturday urged the international community to resolutely respond to reports about plans by Kiev to attack the nuclear power plant in Kursk.
“We call on the international bodies, the UN and the [International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)] in particular, to immediately condemn the provocative actions prepared by the Kiev regime and to prevent the violation of both nuclear and physical security of the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant,” she said.
These actions by the Ukrainian military “could result in a large-scale technogenic catastrophe in Europe,” she warned.
Kiev’s plans do not just pose a “direct threat” to the nuclear power plant’s security but also go against the principles of the IAEA formulated by its head, Rafael Grossi, in 2022, amid the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, she added.
“The entire international community should understand the threat posed by the neo-Nazi Kiev regime to the European continent.”
Zakharova also maintained that any attempts to “intimidate and terrorize entire regions and all of the international community should be resolutely stopped by joint efforts.”
Last week, a cross-border incursion into the Russian border region where the plant is located was launched by Ukrainian forces.
On Friday, Russian military journalist Marat Khairullin reported, citing sources, that Kiev was plotting a false flag operation involving the detonation of a dirty atomic bomb and targeting the spent nuclear fuel storages of a nuclear power plant.
Reports say the operation would either be directed against Russia’s Zaporozhye NPP in Energodar or the Kursk NPP.
Kursk nuclear power plant is reportedly 90 kilometers from the Ukraine-Russia border, which has become an arena of fierce clashes between the two sides.
The Zaporozhye plant is the largest in Europe and is also located close to the front line.
Neither the UN nor the IAEA have responded to the Russian Foreign Ministry’s statement as of Saturday evening.
The Russian Defense Ministry earlier warned that any attempts to create a “man-made disaster in the European part of the continent” would be met with “tough military and military-technical countermeasures.”