As Russia and Ukraine accuse each other of putting the Zaporijia nuclear plant on the brink of radioactive disaster, areas controlled by Moscow were targeted in early morning attacks on Friday, reinforcing signs that Kiev has increased its ability to take action. strategic.
In Crimea, territory annexed by Russia in 2014, at least four explosions were reported near a military base in Belbek, on the southwest coast. According to a local official, Russian anti-aircraft forces shot down a Ukrainian drone, and the episode caused no damage or injuries.
On the opposite side of the peninsula, at the eastern end, explosions were reported around the town of Kertch, near a bridge linking Crimea with Russia. Ukraine has said it considers the structure a legitimate target in its attempt to force the occupiers out, but has not claimed responsibility for the episode, which the Kremlin says was triggered by its own air defence.
Explosions were also reported in areas of Russian territory. Overnight, two villages had to be evacuated after an ammunition depot caught fire in Belgorod province – close to the Ukrainian border but 100 kilometers from the first territory controlled by Kiev.
Closer to the front, Ukraine has announced a series of night attacks in southern Kherson province, the first Putin occupied at the start of the war. According to Reuters, the explosions hit a bridge at the Kakhovska dam, which forms one of the routes used by Russia to deliver supplies to thousands of troops on the west bank of the Dnipro River.
“Ukrainian Armed Forces treated the Russians to a magical night,” Serii Khlan, a member of Kherson’s regional council dissolved by Moscow’s occupation forces, wrote on social media.
The explosions came days after attacks on an air base and an ammunition depot, both in Crimea. Russia has accused saboteurs of being behind the episodes, and, at least officially, Kiev has not claimed them — presidential adviser Mikhailo Podoliak, however, tweeted with a certain dose of irony that the “demilitarization” of the peninsula had begun.
According to Reuters, a Western official indicated on Friday that at least some of the recent episodes were Ukrainian attacks, adding that Kiev was consistently managing to cause damage behind Russian lines, with logistical and morale effects.
The destruction of the air base, for example, would have wiped out half of the Russian Black Sea naval force’s fighter jets. Moscow denies that any aircraft were damaged, despite satellite images showing at least eight warplanes completely burned.
British newspaper The Guardian also says that after the incidents, thousands of Russians rushed to leave Crimea, with a record 38,000 cars leaving the peninsula on Tuesday.
Since last month, Ukraine has been deploying Western-supplied rockets to attack Russian forces. However, the explosions in Crimea and Belgorod were beyond the reach of the munitions that Western countries acknowledged to have sent. If Kiev has indeed managed to increase its strike capability, it could mean a new step in the war, with more disruption to the supply lines Moscow needs to support its occupation.
Nuclear power plant becomes pressure point
The succession of attacks comes at a time of tension involving the Zaporijia nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe. The complex has gained centrality in the current phase of the conflict, with Moscow accusing Kiev of recklessly firing at the site, while President Volodymyr Zelensky says rival troops have deliberately caused explosions to disrupt the country’s power supply.
On Friday, Ukraine’s state-owned nuclear power company Energoatom accused Russia of planning to shut down the plant’s working blocks and disconnect them from the Ukrainian power grid. An eventual shutdown would increase the risk of radioactive disaster, as it would involve the suppression of nuclear chain reactions that could lead to the melting of reactors due to the increase in temperature.
Continuing the mutual blame game, Putin accuses Ukraine of bombing the complex and risking nuclear catastrophe. In a telephone conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron, the Russian leader said that the Ukrainian military has carried out systematic attacks on the complex, creating the risk of a catastrophe capable of contaminating several countries with radiation.
Moscow, however, rejects international calls to demilitarize the plant. According to the Kremlin, the two presidents stressed the importance of sending an International Atomic Energy Agency delegation to Zaporyjia as soon as possible, with Putin confirming his willingness to provide the inspectors with necessary assistance.
