Andrii Kovalenko, the head of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council‘s counter-disinformation center, has denied claims made by Russian media about an alleged Ukrainian attack on the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant on Oct. 3. In a statement on his Telegram channel, Kovalenko stated that Russia had released false information about a HIMARS strike on the plant.
Since the start of the Ukrainian incursion in Kursk Oblast in early August, Moscow has repeatedly accused Kyiv of attacking or planning to attack the plant. However, Ukraine has firmly denied these accusations. According to the monitoring site DeepState, the plant is located approximately 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Ukrainian-held positions in Kursk Oblast.
Earlier on Oct. 3, Russian Telegram channels Shot and Mash claimed that explosions had occurred in the nearby town of Kurchatov, allegedly as a result of a Ukrainian attack on the Kursk plant. The channels did not specify whether HIMARS rockets were used in the attack. Mash also claimed that four missiles and a single drone were deployed, all of which were intercepted.
According to Mash, the drone, which was allegedly Ukraine’s new Palianytsia model, was flying towards Kurchatov at 11:30 a.m. local time. Later in the day, at 4:20 p.m., Russian air defenses were used to intercept a “French aerial bomb” that fell 5 kilometers from the power station, the channel alleged. Shot also reported that Ukrainian forces had made “four unsuccessful attempts” to strike the plant, causing a fire approximately 5 kilometers away. Both channels shared footage of smoke rising over what appears to be Kurchatov.
Kursk Oblast Governor Alexei Smirnov claimed that a Ukrainian drone was neutralized by electronic warfare near Kurchatov, causing explosions at an outbuilding not related to the nuclear plant. However, the management of the power station stated on Telegram that it is “operating in normal mode” and that radiation levels are within norms.
Kovalenko dismissed the claims of an attack on the nuclear plant, stating that there would be no reason for Ukraine to do so. He also pointed out that the footage shared by Russia only showed a fire in Kurchatov and an explosion on the ground, which have no connection to an attack on the Kursk plant.
According to Ukrainian outlet Suspilne, sources in Ukraine’s intelligence services have also refuted the claims of an attack on the plant. The Kyiv Independent was unable to independently verify all of the claims made. Requests for comment from Ukrainian intelligence services went unanswered at the time of publication.
This is not the first time that the Kremlin has accused Ukraine of attacking the Kursk plant. In late August, they invited the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to inspect the security at the station. However, Moscow expressed disappointment with the conclusions of the IAEA mission, stating that they were hoping for a more objective and thorough investigation.
Read More @ kyivindependent.com