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JACK MONTGOMERY
Ukraine and Russia Blame Each Other for Fire at Europe’s Biggest Nuke Plant.
Russia and Ukraine are blaming each other for a fire at the Zaporizhzhia (Zaporozhye) nuclear power plant.
Yevgeny Balitsky, the Kremlin-backed governor of occupied Zaporizhzhia, attributed the fire to Ukrainian shelling. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky alleges that Russian forces initiated the blaze despite the fact that the site has been under Russian control for two years, meaning a nuclear meltdown would have a much more immediate negative impact on Russian forces than on Ukraine.
The fire broke out on Sunday in the cooling towers of the six-reactor plant, which is the biggest in Europe. Balitsky and Zelensky both say there has been no radiation spike.
Zelensky claims Russia started the fire to “blackmail” him. Last Tuesday,
Ukrainian forces launched a surprise offensive into Russia in the Kursk region, which saw one of the most decisive battles between Axis and Soviet forces in 1943. It has penetrated roughly 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) into Russian territory.
ZELENSKY’S GAMBLE.
Ukrainian officials say thousands of troops are participating in the Kursk operation, displacing over 76,000 residents and prompting a state of emergency declaration. Reports indicate the Ukrainian troops have U.S. equipment, such as Bradley and Stryker combat vehicles.“We are on the offensive. The aim is to stretch the positions of the enemy, to inflict maximum losses, and to destabilize the situation in Russia as they are unable to protect their own border,” said a Ukrainian official.The high-stakes operation, which involves several Ukrainian brigades, could prove to be a disaster blunder if it fails.
Russian forces have been building up an overwhelming advantage in artillery and personnel over recent months, slowly taking control of Ukrainian fortress towns and villages in the Donbass (Donbas) region and reestablishing a presence near Kharkov (Kharkiv) after a surprise incursion that started in May.
If the Kursk brigades are unable to achieve their objectives, or at least withdraw in good order, Zelensky may struggle to reinforce the faltering front in the Donbass and elsewhere. SHOW LESS
(Zelensky has been attacking the plant since early 2022)
https://thenationalpulse.com/2024/08/12/ukraine-and-russia-blame-each-other-for-fire-at-europes-biggest-nuke-plant/