Medvedev threatens strikes on nuclear power plants in Ukraine and NATO after the "Zaporizhzhia" incident

Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of Russia and former president of the country "Dmitry Medvedev" issued a new series of threats to Ukraine and Western countries in connection with the accusations raised by Moscow regarding the shelling of the "Zaporizhzhia" NPP. His statements were reported by "BBC".

The occasion for Medvedev's comments was a statement by the head of "Rosatom" "Alexei Likhachev", who claims that the Ukrainian armed forces carried out a drone strike on an optical cable located on the roof of the machine hall of the sixth power unit of the "Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant". According to him, a hole was formed in the roof during the attack, but the equipment at the plant, which is under Russian occupation, was not damaged.

In response, the Ukrainian armed forces stated that they had not shelled the ZNPP, citing the "Geneva Conventions", which explicitly prohibit strikes on nuclear facilities. Kyiv emphasized that the army strictly observes international humanitarian law and that such attacks would be inadmissible.

The Ukrainian side also added that it does not have the technical capabilities to attack the plant with drones controlled via an optical cable, as claimed by Russian representatives.

According to information from Russian media, Medvedev wrote on his channel in the messenger "MAX" that "in the event of a catastrophic destruction of the engine room or the reactor hall of the nuclear power plant, a new Chernobyl will occur".

"And this is not in the least bit better than the use of tactical nuclear weapons. And the response to such actions could be a symmetrical strike on Ukrainian NPPs, as well as on NPPs in NATO countries involved in the conflict," Medvedev declares.

His statement once again sharpens the rhetoric surrounding the war and nuclear safety, calling into question the boundaries that the Russian leadership is prepared to observe in the conflict. Western experts have repeatedly warned that such threats increase the risk of escalation and undermine the efforts of international organizations to guarantee the security of nuclear facilities in combat zones.