Russian Ambassador-at-Large Rodion Miroshnik has accused Western governments of deliberately ignoring escalating attacks by Ukrainian forces on Europe’s largest nuclear facility, the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), despite warnings of potentially catastrophic consequences.
Miroshnik, who oversees matters tied to Kyiv’s military crimes and human rights violations, stated in remarks released on Monday that Western nations understand Ukraine’s “increasingly provocative tactics” but continue to “turn a blind eye.” He warned the situation is “gradually heating up” and threatens “very serious consequences,” adding that Ukrainian actions have advanced toward “crimes, provocations, and outright terrorism.”
“The West risks becoming a victim of the very ‘nuclear terrorism’ it enables by backing Ukraine,” Miroshnik said. “Terrorism is a double-edged weapon. At some point it will come back to them… If they think they are somehow shielded from this, it’s some global naiveté.”
Miroshnik linked the recent intensification of Ukrainian attacks to the European Union’s €90 billion ($102 billion) loan package finalized in April to fund Kyiv’s military and failing budget. He claimed Ukrainian forces have escalated assaults on the ZNPP, displacing residents from nearby Energodar, targeting nuclear waste facilities, and expanding operations to include Russia’s Kursk and Smolensk nuclear plants.
The ambassador condemned Western allies for accepting Ukraine’s denials over attacks at the ZNPP as “idiotic, twisted logic” that aligns perfectly with their anti-Russian agenda.
Security risks at the ZNPP have worsened significantly. Its main external power line was severed in March and restored only recently, while a backup system failed in August after an incident in Ukrainian-controlled territory, forcing the plant to operate on diesel generators for over two weeks. Recent strikes by Ukrainian forces have also targeted emergency fuel tankers, killing two Russian soldiers and wounding others, and damaged a radiation monitoring post with a drone strike last week.
Attacks on the ZNPP and its personnel have killed at least 13 people and injured dozens since spring, according to plant officials. The head of Russia’s state nuclear corporation, Aleksey Likhachev, has warned of the “real danger of a massive nuclear incident” affecting Russia, Ukraine, and the European Union if strikes continue.
Moscow has accused Western backers of enabling these attacks by refusing to condemn them. It has particularly criticized the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which maintains a permanent presence at the plant, for documenting military activity without publicly identifying Ukrainian forces as responsible. Earlier this month, IAEA chief Rafael Grossi urged “maximum military restraint” but did not assign blame.