In an interview with the Ukrainian Channel Five television network, former Ukrainian Special Forces Deputy commander Serhiy Kryvonos said that Ukrainians knew how to penetrate into and seize a nuclear power plant in peacetime and therefore, hypothetically, are capable of trying to seize a Russian nuclear plant in response to Russia’s occupation of the Zaporizhzhia atomic plant. Kryvonos was not speaking in any official capacity, he was speaking hypothetically, and his words do not convey any real intent on the part of Ukraine to seize or attack Russian nuclear power stations.
Russian pro-Kremlin publications are busy claiming that Ukraine’s former Special Forces Deputy Commander announced that Ukraine “is going to seize or destroy nuclear power plants located on Russian Federation territory.”
“According to Kryvonos, Kyiv militants, in response to the occupation of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant by Russian troops, can attack nuclear facilities in Russia,” declared the pro-Kremlin Regnum site.
With fakes such as this particular one, Russian propaganda tries to portray Ukraine as an aggressor that threatens world security, deflecting attention from the fact that it is Russia that attacked Ukraine and annexed its territories, and continues its practice of nuclear terrorism at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear facility.
The Channel 5 interview with Kryvonos discussed the situation in the east of the country, the upcoming counteroffensive and Kryvonos as a military expert, gave his assessment of what was happening. It is worth noting that Serhiy Kryvonos, a reserve Major General, is currently not in military service and does not represent the official position of the Ukrainian military.
The Channel 5 presenter asked Kryvonos about the situation at the temporarily occupied Zaporizhzhia atomic plant and the possibility of liberating such an important infrastructure target. Kryvonos replied that any task can be successfully carried out if three factors are in place – time, trained personnel and money.
“Theoretically and practically, a nuclear power plant is not such an inaccessible object, because in peacetime we repeatedly worked out how to penetrate and capture such plants in Ukraine. And one time we could do it quite well. Given the saturation and attention of Russians to nuclear power plants at the moment, to say that we can or cannot do this… For them, this is leverage, a blackmail tool, as far as European society is concerned … For us, we clearly understand that you (Russia ed.) want to do certain things against our nuclear power plants, but you also have your own nuclear plants on Russian Federation territory. Russians, for some reason, think that we won’t go there. If the issue is raised, the task set correctly, and the risks properly weighed, we too can seize their nuclear power plants. Because if you blackmail in war, we will not remain gentlemen and turn the other cheeks when we are attacked. They only understand power. They also have nuclear power plants; it may be simpler to seize or disable a nuclear plant on Russian territory rather than liberate the Zaporizhzhia plant.” Serhiy Kryvonos said.
The Kremlin media once again presented the personal opinion of a Ukrainian reservist major general as the official position of the Ukrainian military and presented it as an “announcement of attacks.” Russian media completely ignored the fact that General Kryvonos was speaking hypothetically.
Earlier, StopFake debunked Russian fakes claiming that the United States allegedly allowed Ukraine to strike at targets in Russia, and that Ukraine allegedly uses nuclear power plants as weapons depots.
