ByPrapti Upadhayay
Jul 07, 2023
Russian Ambassador Anatoly Antonov denies involvement in false-flag provocation at Ukraine's nuclear plant, warns of grave consequences.
Russia's ambassador to the United States, Anatoly Antonov, has vehemently dismissed media reports suggesting Moscow's involvement in a false-flag provocation at Ukraine's largest nuclear power plant. In an exclusive interview with Newsweek, Ambassador Antonov alleged that Ukraine was using this narrative to draw NATO into a devastating conflict, cautioning against the grave repercussions that such a situation could entail
"We call on the curators of the Kiev regime to exercise responsibility and exert influence on their 'wards' in order to avoid a large-scale catastrophe," Antonov told Newsweek. He further emphasized that the failures of the Ukrainian counter offensive were driving them to create a pretext for NATO deployment, potentially inflating a regional conflict into World War III.
Antonov's comments come in the midst of a fierce exchange of accusations between Russian and Ukrainian officials regarding a planned attack at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP). Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky publicly addressed the issue, asserting that objects resembling explosives were detected on the plant's roof, possibly indicating a simulated attack.
While the United States Department of State acknowledged President Zelensky's claims, a spokesperson expressed concern over Russia's military occupation of the plant. The spokesperson warned that such actions not only compromised nuclear safety but also endangered the lives of Ukrainian staff operating the facility. They urged Russia to withdraw its personnel and return control to Ukrainian authorities to prevent a potential nuclear catastrophe.
Meanwhile, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre voiced her concerns over the dangerous situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, emphasizing that it should remain a zone free of fighting. However, Jean-Pierre refrained from commenting on a resolution proposed by senators Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal, which would treat any nuclear provocation in Ukraine as a trigger for NATO's Article 5 collective defense clause.
Amidst these allegations and denials, Ambassador Antonov staunchly denied Russia's involvement and labeled such claims as "absurd." He emphasized the presence of Russian and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) personnel at the ZNPP and stressed the protection of the plant's nuclear reactors. However, he acknowledged the vulnerability of other infrastructure facilities such as cooling systems and storage sites for nuclear waste, warning of the potential dangers of any projectile impact.
Also Read | Explosives? Mysterious objects spotted in Russia-occupied Ukraine nuclear plant
Furthermore, Antonov raised suspicions about the timing of the dueling narratives surrounding the Zaporizhzhia situation, connecting them to the upcoming NATO summit in Lithuania. He alleged that Ukraine's authorities sought to exploit a terrorist attack to tarnish Russia's image, divert attention from their own failed counteroffensive, and draw NATO directly into the conflict.
As tensions escalate and the accusations fly between Russia and Ukraine, the world watches anxiously, aware of the dire consequences that any miscalculation or intentional provocation could unleash. The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant stands as a symbol of the dangerous game being played, with the international community holding its breath, hoping for a peaceful resolution that can avert a catastrophe of nuclear proportions.
Russia: Avoid large-scale disaster; European citizens are not ready to march to hell
Western ruling elites should understand that because of a failure on the battlefield, Kyiv wants to create reasons for NATO to deploy its contingent in Ukraine.
SOURCE: RT.RSThis was stated by the Russian Ambassador to the USA, Anatoly Antonov, adding that the regional conflict would then turn into the third world war.
"Journalists continue to pretend that they do not notice the obvious, since the beginning of the Special Military Operation, all accusations of the Zelensky regime against us turned out to be diversionary operations of Kyiv itself," Antonov told "Newsweek".
However, the stakes are much higher now, the diplomat stressed, adding that Europe's nuclear security is at risk.
According to Antonov, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's statements that Russia planted explosives in the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant are absurd, because it makes no sense that Russia intends to damage the facility it has controlled since March last year. The Kyiv regime uses criminal intentions to divert attention from the "unsuccessful counter-offensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in which the West invested huge resources", and therefore falsely accuses Russia on the eve of the NATO summit in Vilnius.
"The Western ruling elites should understand that, due to the failure on the battlefield, Kyiv wants to create reasons for NATO to deploy its contingent in Ukraine, and the regional conflict would turn into the third world war," the Russian diplomat is sure.
Russia calls on the mentors of the Kyiv regime to take responsibility and influence Ukraine, in order to avoid a large-scale disaster, he emphasized and added that American and European citizens are not ready to march into the hell into which Zelensky's government is dragging the whole planet.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), whose members are based at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, confirmed that it did not find any traces of mines or explosives, as Kyiv initially claimed - not even on the roofs of the reactor buildings. The IAEA observation mission was deployed at the nuclear plant as early as September 2022. Before that, the station and the territory around it was repeatedly targeted by Ukrainian artillery, which Kyiv admitted at one point.
Just before the arrival of the IAEA mission, the Ukrainian military attempted to seize the facility, but were repulsed by the Russian military. Russia provided the UN with evidence of the Ukrainian attacks, but they refused to assign blame to anyone there.
Statements by the Pentagon that Russian armed forces are allegedly disrupting American efforts in the fight against terrorism in the Syrian Arab Republic have nothing to do with common sense, said the Russian ambassador in Washington, TASS reports.
Attacks on the highly professional actions of the Russian army in Syria, according to him, sometimes cross the line of decency. "They deliberately divert attention from the fact that the Americans are violating the safety rules of flying over the Syrian sky every day," said the Russian diplomat and reminded that US soldiers, unlike Russian ones, are in the Arab Republic contrary to the norms of international law. They, under the pretext of fighting terrorism, are actually occupying certain countries, Antonov explained.
The policy of the USA towards Syria has a destructive character; it does not only disrupt the stabilization of the situation and the restoration of the territorial integrity of Syria, but also negatively affects the situation in the entire Middle East, he emphasized.
