Disinformation by russia regarding the situation at the Zaporizhzhia NPP
ru-propaganda has intensified information operations concerning the Zaporizhzhia NPP after the IAEA announced critical safety risks at the plant.
▫️ On 8 September, the head of the Agency, Rafael Grossi, stated that 6 out of 7 key pillars of nuclear safety had been violated at the occupied Zaporizhzhia NPP. He emphasized that the plant operates on only one external power line, all reactors are in cold shutdown, and the water level in the cooling pool is approaching a critical point.
Notably, for three days russian propaganda completely ignored this statement. Only after the statement by russia’s permanent representative to international organizations, mikhail ulyanov, did a wave of media reports appear. This shows that kremlin-controlled resources were waiting for the official “line of moscow” and did not know how to react — since it is russia that controls the Zaporizhzhia NPP and bears full responsibility for its safety.
▫️ In his statement, ulyanov resorted to a series of manipulations: he declared the Zaporizhzhia NPP to be “russian territory,” downplayed the role of the IAEA mission, accused Ukraine of shelling and of “pressuring the staff,” and questioned the universality of the 7 pillars of nuclear safety.
In this way, the russian side is attempting to shift responsibility for the dangerous situation at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant onto Ukraine while simultaneously undermining the authority of the IAEA.
