Putin threatened "mirror" strikes on Ukrainian NPPs
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has made new threats, saying that Russia could launch "mirror strikes" against nuclear power plants in Ukraine in response to the alleged shelling of the occupied ZNPP by the Ukrainian side.
The dictator's words during the "Valdai" conference were quoted by Russian propagandists, Censor.NET reports.
The Kremlin leader did not admit that Russians were shelling the territory of the temporarily occupied ZNPP and traditionally blamed Ukraine for the strikes.
"It is within the range of Ukrainian artillery. And they are hitting these places and practically do not allow our repair teams to get there. At the same time, they say that we are doing it. But Mr Grossi was there, and there are IAEA officials present. They are silent, ashamed of the processes that are taking place, but everyone can see. They all see what is happening," the Russian dictator said.
Putin then moved on to direct and explicit threats, saying that Russia would shell nuclear power plants under Ukrainian control.
"This is a dangerous game. And people on the other side should also understand that if they play this dangerous game, they have NPPs on their side. And what prevents us from responding in kind? Let them think about it," he added.
Earlier, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the situation at Zaporizhzhia NPP was critical, and the plant had been operating on generators for seven days. On 29 September, Sybiha and Grossi discussed threats to ZNPP.
Earlier it was reported that due to the lack of external power supply for more than 72 hours, emergency generators at Zaporizhzhia NPP have been operating at maximum capacity. Uncontrolled heating of the reactors is possible, comparable to the Fukushima scenario.
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said that the Russian occupiers are trying to involve the IAEA in reconnecting the plant to justify the theft.
