Medvedev threatens strikes “on NATO nuclear power plants” after the incident claimed by Russia in Zaporozhye

After Rosatom accused Ukraine of striking the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant with a drone, Moscow's deputy head of the Security Council threatened to attack “nuclear power plants of NATO countries involved in the conflict,” according to Russian newspaper Kommersant.

Commenting on the accusations of the Russian state company in the nuclear energy sector, Dmitry Medvedev stated that, “in the event of a catastrophic destruction of the turbine or the reactor hall of a nuclear power plant, there will be a new Chernobyl”, referring to the nuclear accident that took place in 1986 near the city of Pripeat, then in the Soviet Union.

“This is no better than the use of tactical nuclear weapons. And the response to such actions could be a symmetrical strike on Ukrainian nuclear power plants, as well as nuclear power plants of NATO countries involved in the conflict,” the Russian official added.

Rosatom's director said on Saturday that “a Ukrainian kamikaze combat drone hit the turbine hall building of Unit No. 6, resulting in a subsequent detonation,” according to AFP, cited by Agerpres.

Alexei Lihacev said that “the explosion did not cause damage to the main equipment” but “made a hole in the wall of the turbine hall”.

“We are one step closer to an incident that will most likely affect even those who live far beyond the borders of Russia and Ukraine and who still believe they are completely safe,” Rosatom's director said.

Russia has informed international bodies

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it had been informed by the operator of the Russian-controlled plant that a drone had struck the turbine hall on Saturday, AFP reported.

The Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, Europe's largest, has been under Russian control since March 2022, and throughout the war the two sides have constantly accused each other of military actions that threaten nuclear safety.

“There should be no attack from or against the plant,” IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said in a statement issued by the agency late Saturday on the X platform.

“Attacking nuclear sites is like playing with fire,” Grossi warned.