Russia may blow up Zaporizhzhia NPP, - Times
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin may order the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant to be blown up to shore up his faltering position.
The British Times newspaper writes about it, Censor.NET informs with a reference to the BBC.
"As an authoritarian ruler, it is important for Putin to save face in the eyes of his supporters.
However, the course of the war, the resolution of which in itself was already a "huge strategic mistake", and the recent attempted mutiny may push Putin to take some radical steps," the report says.
Putin's army has not been able to show the public any real successes on the fronts for a long time. This affects the image of a happy and decisive leader, and the events of June 24 additionally demonstrated the instability of Putin's position: the Russian army almost did not resist Prigozhin's "Wagnerians", and people in Rostov "enthusiastically welcomed the mercenaries".
"This is a dangerous moment for the Putin regime, and therefore a moment of heightened danger for the region. To regain the favor of political fortunes, Mr. Putin may be tempted to escalate the war in the hope of quick victories," opined the Times.
"His army has already blown up the hydroelectric dam in Kakhovka (although Russia flatly denies this). It is quite possible that they also have a plan to attack the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant," the newspaper writes.
The Ukrainian authorities have long been talking about the threat of sabotage by the Russians at the nuclear power plant occupied by them. Russia rejects these suspicions.
The Times notes that the gradual withdrawal of military personnel and personnel from the station, which has been reported in recent days, also supports these suspicions.
According to the Times, NATO countries should strongly warn Moscow that they will not leave unanswered a sabotage of the nuclear power plant with potentially catastrophic consequences. What this answer might be, the newspaper does not try to guess.
