Russia scouting Ukrainian nuclear facilities for attacks, Zelenskyy says
Photo: Volodymyr Zelenskyy (president.gov.ua)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that Russia is attempting to target Ukraine's nuclear power plants, and Ukraine has information on which facilities Moscow has been scouting.
He informed that the Ukrainian delegation keeps the US fully updated on the situation in Ukraine, including Russia's ongoing strikes on the country's energy infrastructure.
"If the Russians truly wanted an end to the war, they would focus on diplomacy—not missile attacks, not blackouts, and not attempts to damage even our nuclear plants. We have data on the sites Russia has been scouting for potential strikes. Everything clearly shows that diplomacy is definitely not a priority for Russia," the President emphasized.
He also said that Russian forces have been targeting Naftogaz facilities across various regions of Ukraine throughout the week. The most recent strike, which hit a gas production site, occurred yesterday.
Russia's plans for attacks on Ukraine
On January 17, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukrainian intelligence has information about Russia preparing new strikes on Ukraine's energy grid and infrastructure.
"(There is – ed.) ample information about preparations for further Russian strikes on our energy sector and infrastructure, including facilities and networks that serve our nuclear power plants," the President said.
He emphasized that each such Russian strike on Ukraine's energy sector, especially during the harsh winter, weakens and undermines the efforts of key military countries working to end the war, including the United States.
Earlier, the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine's Ministry of Defense published a statement noting that Russia is considering strikes on nuclear power substation facilities to pressure Ukraine into signing surrender terms to end the war.
"By destroying or disabling the specified substations, Moscow seeks to disconnect NPP power units from the unified energy system of Ukraine, so that Ukrainian civilians are totally left without light and heat," the intelligence body explained.
