Xi Jinpingwhich took the threat of Russia’s use of atomic weapons very seriously, warned Vladimir Putin that he did not use them in March 2023. Since then, China he takes credit for deterring the Russian dictator. We don’t know if that advisory also includes the use of conventional explosives to blow up a nuclear reactor.
That possibility, that false flag operation, has dominated the messages of both sides in the last few hours. Ukrainethrough its own president Zelenski, assures that “the Russian army has placed objects that look like explosives on the roof of various power units of the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant. Maybe to simulate an attack on the plant. Maybe they have some other stage.”
On the other hand, since yesterday the pro-Russian Telegram groups, almost always remote controlled by the Kremlin, have warned of a “Ukrainian missile attack” on the plant. As with the dam bombing, these messages often cover false flag attacks.
This same Wednesday, the Kremlin spokesman, Dmitri Peskov, said: “The possibility of some kind of Ukrainian sabotage of the Russian-controlled Zaporizhia nuclear power plant is great and measures are being taken to counter such a threat. The consequences of such sabotage could be catastrophic.”
For its part, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) assures that its experts at the plant “until now they have found no visible traces of mines or other explosives. For months, this organization has maintained two officials to verify compliance with the nuclear agreements. But in the same note, the Agency itself points out: “We need full access to be able to confirm that the five principles have not been violated, and we will continue to request the necessary access to all those areas.” In other words, they have not yet been able to verify whether the roofs of reactors 3 and 4 contain those explosives that Ukraine is talking about.