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22 August, Kyiv…The planned visit of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi to the Kursk nuclear plan is a propaganda victory for the Russian government and will only further its war aims, Greenpeace Ukraine warned today.
Alexey Likhachev, the head of the Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom, invited Director General Grossi to the Kursk plant during a telephone call last weekend when he warned that both the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in Ukraine and the Kursk reactors in Russia were at risk from Ukraine.(1) The armed forces of Ukraine entered Kursk Oblast on 6th of August. Director Grossi said yesterday that the Kursk reactors were "technically within artillery range" of Ukrainian forces and he would visit the Kursk plant next week due to the serious risk of damage.(2)
“This is a major mistake by the IAEA Director General and by agreeing to Russia’s agenda he is directly furthering their war objectives. The visit to Kursk NPP should be canceled immediately. There is no credible evidence that Ukraine has any intention to attack the Kursk nuclear plant”, - said Shaun Burnie, senior nuclear specialist with Greenpeace Ukraine.
According to Burnie, by his words and actions, Grossi is encouraging the world community to believe Russian state propaganda. But far worse, he is distracting attention away from the real and only threat to nuclear safety and security: Russia’s illegal occupation of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. Through their actions over more than two years, Rosatom has brought the plant to the edge of a very dangerous cliff. By using deception and false flag operation tactics, Russia is distracting attention from these very real safety issues at the Zaporizhzhia plant for which it has sole responsibility. But instead of addressing this, Russia, with the IAEA’s assistance, has turned reality on its head, through nuclear disinformation in its on-going effort to undermine international confidence in Ukraine and to further its own war aims.
“The Russian state has once again successfully played both its nuclear card and the IAEA. It seems that Grossi has blindly fallen into a Russian trap - his dangerous decision is striking in its naivety and incompetence. It will only encourage Russia to continue its false flag operations at Zaporizhzhya and Kursk nuclear power plants with potentially catastrophic consequences,’ said Burnie.
The warning from Grossi of a Ukraine military threat to the Kursk plant overturned an earlier position of the IAEA. On the 8th of August the IAEA news service stated that, “At this point there is no reason for concern with regard to nuclear safety and security.”(3). Less than 12 hours later and after a phone call from Rosatom chief Likhachev,(4) the IAEA Director issued a warning of the significant military activity near the Kursk nuclear plant and that he would be prepared to visit the site.(5)
Analysis commissioned by Greenpeace in April 2024 concluded that the Russian claims of multiple Ukraine drone attacks against the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant were likely to be maskirovka or deception. Report authors, Mckenzie Intelligence Services in London, concluded that it would benefit Russia to demonstrate Ukrainian irresponsibility with regards to nuclear safety and put pressure on the international community to sanction Ukraine for such behavior and that the April drone strike “could be a false flag operation”.(6)
Notes
1 – TASS, Rosatom CEO Warns IAEA of Threats to Two Nuclear Power Plants, 17 August 2024, see https://www.rbc.ru/politics/17/08/2024/66c095729a7947c3b0e3c48f?from=article_body
2 – Financial Times, IAEA chief to visit Kursk nuclear plant due to Ukraine incursion Rafael Grossi says Russian power station is within artillery range of Ukrainian positions, 21 August 2024, see https://www.ft.com/content/c9fab532-44f1-412c-aa96-2fcd55057f27
3 - TASS, IAEA does not see threats to Kursk power plant nuclear safety, 9 August 2024, see https://tass.com/world/1826919
4 - Rosatom, A telephone conversation took place between ROSATOM General Director Alexei Likhachev and IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi
10 August, 2024, see https://www.rosatom.ru/en/press-centre/news/a-telephone-conversation-took-place-between-rosatom-general-director-alexei-likhachev-and-iaea-direc/
5 - IAEA, IAEA Director General Statement on Developments in the Russian Federation, 9 August 2024, see https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/statements/iaea-director-general-statement-on-developments-in-the-russian-federation
6 – Greenpeace Ukraine, McKenzie Intelligence analysis published on Russian claims of drone attacks on ZNPP offers strong indications of staged false flag operation by Russia, 12 April 2024, see https://www.greenreconstruction.com/news/mckenzie-intelligence-analysis-published-on-russian-claims-of-drone-attacks-on-znpp-offers-strong-indications-of-staged-false-flag-operation-by-russia
