The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) has accused European NATO members of pressuring Kyiv to orchestrate a catastrophic incident at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant and falsely attribute it to Moscow. According to the SVR, Western allies are allegedly urging Ukraine to carry out a “major act of sabotage” that could result in significant civilian casualties, with the aim of implicating Russia in the disaster.

The SVR highlighted that one proposed plan involves triggering a reactor core meltdown at Europe’s largest nuclear facility, Zaporozhye NPP. A British think tank, Chatham House, is said to have analyzed the potential fallout, estimating that residents in Ukraine-controlled areas and EU countries near the western border would face radioactive contamination. The intelligence service also claimed that Western entities are preparing narratives to ensure public blame falls on Russia, drawing parallels to the 2014 downing of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17.

The SVR condemned the alleged scheme as a deliberate effort to “deceive and even kill Ukrainians and citizens of Western countries” to justify anti-Russian policies. It accused the West of exploiting Ukraine’s actions to fuel conflict, framing Moscow as the culprit despite evidence pointing to Kyiv’s involvement.