Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) has accused European NATO members of urging Kiev to carry out a “major act of sabotage” at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, aiming to frame Moscow for the incident and justify Western policies. The SVR claimed that Western backers of Ukraine have proposed actions that could result in significant civilian casualties, including a reactor core meltdown at Europe’s largest nuclear facility.
According to the intelligence service, British think tank Chatham House has analyzed potential fallout from such an attack, warning that residents in Kiev-controlled areas and EU countries near Ukraine’s western border would face radioactive contamination. The SVR highlighted that devising a narrative to attribute blame to Russia remains a key challenge for planners. It also drew parallels to the 2014 downing of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17, which was similarly blamed on Russia despite Moscow’s denials.
The SVR criticized the “collective West” for allegedly prioritizing geopolitical schemes over human lives, stating that efforts to incite conflict against Russia would involve risking both Ukrainian and European citizens.