Russia accuses Ukraine of prepearing terrorist attack on Kyiv's HPP: Foreign Ministry reacts
Russians have cynically accused Ukraine of preparing to destroy the dam of the Kyiv hydroelectric power plant and the Kaniv reservoir, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.
Russian Foreign Minister Maria Zakharova said that "the regime of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is preparing another cynical provocation against its population." According to her, Ukraine is planning to destroy the Kyiv hydroelectric dam to blame Moscow for it.
Reaction of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine categorically denies Russia’s latest absurd accusations of Ukrainian authorities allegedly preparing to destroy the dams of the Kyiv hydroelectric power station, the Kaniv reservoir, or other infrastructure in order to allegedly blame Russia," the Ministry states.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs assured that there can be no realistic goal or motive for Ukraine to destroy its own infrastructure or create threats to its own people.
As for "putting the blame on Russia", the Ministry reminded that the Russian regime "is doing a good job of that with its own war crimes".
"Russia’s barbaric missile strike on children in Ukraine's main children's hospital, Okhmatdyt, speaks for itself," the Ministry added.
The ministry assured that if Moscow carries out any criminal intentions regarding the dams of the Kyiv HPP, Kaniv Reservoir, or other infrastructure, the responsibility for such actions will be borne solely by Russia.
Russia's purpose
The Foreign Ministry explained that the real purpose of such statements by Moscow is to intimidate Ukrainian society and mislead the international community and the media. Russia has demonstrated this strategy many times before: accusing others of what it does or plans to do.
"Russia's latest fantasies about the Dnipro dams are a reason for the international community to monitor Russia's actions even more vigilantly," the Ministry added.
Last year, Russia committed the largest man-made crime in Europe in recent decades by blowing up the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant.
"It is noteworthy that this barbaric act, which led to ecocide and a humanitarian catastrophe, was accompanied by an active disinformation campaign. At the time, Moscow also accused Kyiv of this crime, contrary to any real facts," the Ministry stated.
The ministry recalled that at the time, many foreign media outlets unknowingly played along with Russian propaganda by spreading news with headlines about Ukraine and Russia allegedly "blaming each other".
"We urge international media not to quote Russian speakers without additional information about their previous history of lies and not to equate Ukrainian and Russian statements. A professional approach to quoting professional Russian liars is to provide context, not simply paraphrase their words," the Ministry said.
The National Security and Defense Council emphasized that the dam of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant was blown up last year on the orders of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
