The Kremlin's nuclear blackmail against the will of the Ukrainian people for freedom

The majority of Ukrainians have already understood that the Kremlin's nuclear blackmail, both with threats to use nuclear weapons and creation of an emergency situation at the Zaporizhia NPP, is primarily intended to make Ukraine to give up the idea of liberating its territories from the occupier and to agree to a humiliating "peace agreement" that would actually guarantee nothing, except for disgrace, physical and spiritual extermination of the Ukrainian people in the near future.

Ukrainians have no other choice than to struggle on, to return their territories in the internationally recognised borders of 1991. Otherwise, if we give in to Russian blackmail, and instead of peace and security, Ukraine will have shame, hundreds of thousands of victims in the occupied territories, and an even bloodier war after a short pause, which will be needed to restore the strength of the Moscow "empire of evil."

Ukraine’s President V. Zelenskyy on June 22, 2023 clearly spoke about a real threat of Ruscist terrorists blowing up the ZNPP in the near future. Nuclear terror is the last resort of the Ruscist beast, already in agony, to turn the "wheel of history" back.

At the same time, we should not overly panic, because the Ruscists are just waiting for this. Today, the ZNPP is much safer than the Chornobyl station was, as its protection systems are incomparably more advanced. In addition, all its units are stopped. Five units are in a state of cold shutdown, and one (#5) – of hot shutdown. Therefore, the Russian nuclear blackmail is, first of all, a special active operation based on the models of the main theorists of the Soviet terrorism, NKVD generals P.Sudoplatov and N.Etingon. However, even in the case of a deliberate terrorist attack on the ZNPP by the Ruscists, tens of thousands of people and hundreds of square kilometres of nearby territories may be affected to a larger or smaller extent.

Unfortunately, during the long period of the ZNPP occupation, the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine together with NAEC "Energoatom" overlooked this threat. They prefer making money on electricity exports, neglecting security issues, reassuring the international community and Ukrainian society with the mantra that everything is "under control". Meanwhile, SNRIU, instead of issuing an order on March 4, 2022 (the day of the occupation of the station), as provided for by the legislation on nuclear safety, to transfer all six units to the safest state of cold shutdown, made this step only on June 8, 2023.

As a result of inadequate actions of SNRIU, Ruscists even in 2022 repeatedly put the ZNPP on the brink of a nuclear disaster due to deliberate attacks on high-voltage transmission lines connecting the plant to the external power grid for cooling reactors and nuclear fuel storage pools. At that time, nuclear reactors were in the most dangerous state of operation. Only a miracle and the ZNPP personnel saved it from a disaster.

As we know, the so-called Russian President on October 5, 2022, signed Decree No. 711 on the ZNPP transfer under the control of "Zaporozhskaya NPP Operating Company" (registered in Moscow) until 2028. Also, this Decree in fact recognized the validity of the Ukrainian operating license until 2028.

What is it done for? For the station to be fully controlled by the Russian Federation, and the active license of SNRIU kind of legalize the takeover of the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. All threats that are created there according to the diabolical plan of the Kremlin are also to be justified by a Ukrainian license.

It is not surprising that IAEA Director General R. Grossi has been ignoring the overt theft of the NPP in broad daylight for more than 7 months. This gentleman, instead of focusing on compliance with the two resolutions of the IAEA Board of Governors, where the presence of Russian troops at the station is called the greatest security threat, and their withdrawal and transfer of the ZNPP to Ukraine must be carried out immediately, comes up with five security pillars and says that the cooling rate is normal. So, in his strange opinion, despite the mining of the station, there is no direct security threat.

In addition, he clearly said that the greatest danger for the nuclear power plant lies not in the presence of Russian armed forces on its territory or total mining of key security systems but in the Ukrainian counteroffensive. Mr Grossi's chicken blindness also did not allow him to notice the evident neglect of the SNRIU order to transfer the 5th unit to a state of cold stop and the takeover of the station by Terrorist No. 1 in the world. In addition, at a briefing for journalists, he downplayed the role of SNRIU, saying that the Ruscist management of the ZNPP can independently take decisions on operation of the units.

Actually, R. Grossi's claimed impartiality is over, he clearly sided with the nuclear terrorists, preparing an indulgence for them in case of an accident.

In this way, the irresponsible actions of the IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi encourage the Ruscists to commit a global crime against the ZNPP, because they understand that such, so to speak, IAEA head will continue to find excuses for them.

I would like to make emphasis on the appeal of the President of Ukraine V. Zelenskyy and Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry to international organizations, including G7, EU, China, India, African and Asian countries. Now, in the event of a Ruscist terrorist attack at the ZNPP, no one will be able to hide his head in the sand.

It is high time to stop pandering to nuclear terrorists. It is enough for them to build stations all over the world and sell uranium enrichment technologies and services. The G7 and the People's Republic of China have all the levers of influence on the Russian Federation to prevent the worst, in particular, by entering the terrorist state on the FATF blacklist. It is time to act, if great powers want to be seen as such not only on paper.

I am sure that the nuclear blackmail of the Kremlin Führer will not stop the liberation of Ukrainian land by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but will only bring the internal collapse of modern Russia closer.


https://razumkov.org.ua/statti/yadernyi-shantazh-kremlia-proty-voli-ukrainskogo-narodu-do-svobody

Volodymyr Omelchenko

Director, Energy Programmes


Born in 1967 in Kyiv

Education: Kyiv Politechnic Institute, Department of Chemical Engineering (1992)

Author of over 50 scientific works and op-ed publications. Took part in development and implementation of international energy projects and scientific research in international energy policy

Employment:

1992 – 1996 — worked in different positions in the mechanical engineering industry

1997 – 1998 — Head Expert of the Division of Oil, Gas and Petroleum Refining Industry of the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine

1998 – 2003 — Naftohaz Ukrayiny National Joint-Stock Company, in Charge of Oil Transportation Section

2004 – 2007 — Chief Consultant at the National Institute of International Security Problems of Ukraine’s NSDC

since February, 2007 — Leading Expert, Razumkov Centre. Director of Energy Programmes since 2013

(044) 206-85-02

omelchenko@razumkov.org.ua

volodymyr.omelchenko