Putin's Next Nuclear Threat

Putin's nuclear provocations continue to threaten Europe.

According to an official statement by the Russian Defence Ministry, on the night of 4th September, Russian air defence forces destroyed several Ukrainian UAVs over the territory of the Kursk Region, where a nuclear power plant is located. However, Russia did not provide any material evidence of the authenticity of this incident. The Kursk nuclear power plant is 58 kilometres from the border with Ukraine - another argument for Russian propaganda to accuse Ukraine of the crime Putin may be planning to commit. Russian nuclear terror has become a commonplace gameplay in the Kremlin's military fiasco: Putin is setting the stage for a radiation disaster that could affect millions of Europeans.

Russia has been systematically shelling the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, which it occupied shortly after launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine - in this way Putin has tried to bargain for certain political dividends. Fierce shelling occurred in July 2022 when the Kremlin sought to disrupt the grain deal through nuclear terror. In July of this year, Russia again attempted to carry out a terrorist attack on the ZNPP - Ukraine sounded the alarm in advance, thwarting the Kremlin's planned offensive. At the same time, the Russians began to mine the Kursk nuclear power plant - this gave military analysts reason to argue that this facility on Russian territory could be used for a nuclear provocation with subsequent accusations against Ukraine. Putin is raising the stakes and wants to create the appearance of a radiation catastrophe on Russian territory - a threat not only to Ukraine but also to Europe.

Russia's nuclear terror requires an immediate response from the Western community. The mining of the Kursk nuclear power plant is an extremely alarming signal: the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power plant was also mined by the Russians last December and then blown up. This crime triggered the biggest environmental disaster in the Black Sea region. If Putin orders to blow up the Kursk or Zaporozhyia nuclear power plants, no one in Europe will feel safe. Additional sanctions and complete international isolation are the logical response to such nuclear blackmail by a terrorist state.