Overview
- Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service said Western actors are preparing to stage an accident at the Zaporizhzhia plant to blame Moscow, predicting casualties among Ukrainians and EU residents.
- The service asserted that NATO’s European allies pressed Kyiv to change the course of the war, including discussions of sabotage intended to trigger a reactor core meltdown.
- SVR cited Chatham House assessments and computer modeling indicating radioactive fallout could affect Kyiv-controlled regions and nearby European Union countries.
- Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation rejected the allegation as false, warned it may foreshadow a Russian provocation, and said Russia bears responsibility for safety due to its seizure of the site and pressure on staff.
- The CCD said Russian intelligence often issues advance false warnings that do not come to pass and noted the plant’s monthlong blackout from September 23, as a DPR civic leader amplified the SVR narrative and portrayed the alleged plans as a sign of panic.