Oleksij Arestowycz, erstwhile advisor to the president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenski, revealed that Kyrylo Budanow, head of Ukrainian military intelligence, presented to the president's law firm a plan to blow up all Ukrainian atomic power plants in the event of a threat of the failure of Ukraine in the war.
Arestowycz stated that the United States is aware of these plans, which prompted them to prosecute control of Ukrainian atomic facilities in order to prevent possible disasters.
In March, there were besides reports of an initiative by Ukrainian businessman Oleh Gorochowski, co-owner of Monobank, who announced a fundraising for the acquisition of atomic weapons for Ukraine. This action aimed at drawing attention to the request to strengthen the defence capacity of the country.
Additionally, at the same time U.S. president Donald Trump and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenski had talks about the ceasefire between Kiev and Moscow. The White home then suggested that the United States could take control of Ukrainian atomic power plants to guarantee their safety. Zelenski stressed, however, that the issue of ownership of these facilities belongs to the Ukrainian people and was not the subject of talks with Trump.
Earlier in August 2023, Kyrylo Budanow warned against the anticipation of the Russian forces blowing up the Zaporoska Atomic Power Plant. Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR) determined that Russian troops had moved vehicles loaded with explosives to 4 of the six power blocks of this power plant, which increased the hazard of atomic disaster.
These events item the complex situation around Ukrainian atomic power plants in the context of the ongoing conflict with Russia. Concerns about the safety of these facilities and possible actions from both Ukrainian and Russian sides are a major challenge for the global community, which must monitor the situation and take action to prevent possible atomic disasters.
