Putin Issues Nuclear Power Plant Strike Warning: 'One Can Only Imagine'

Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a fresh nuclear warning on Thursday about an alleged Ukrainian attack on a nuclear power plant in Russia's border Kursk region.

Putin said on August 22 that Ukrainian forces have attempted to strike the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) since launching an incursion into the region on August 6. The following day, a source in law enforcement told state-run news agency Tass that Ukrainian troops "attempted to attack" the facility.

Speaking at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok on Thursday, Putin said alleged Ukrainian strikes on the Kursk NPP are "very dangerous terrorist attacks."

"One can only imagine what will happen if we strike back; what will happen in Europe," Putin added.

Newsweek has contacted Ukraine's Foreign Ministry for comment by email.

The Kursk Nuclear Power Plant is located about 40 kilometers (25 miles) west of the city of Kursk and approximately 110 kilometers (68 miles) from the border with Ukraine. The BBC reported on August 11 that Russia appeared to be building new defenses around the nuclear plant.

Some Russian military bloggers, including war correspondent Alexander Sladkov, said in the early days of the incursion that Ukrainian forces were planning to take control of the nuclear power plant.

There is no evidence to suggest that Ukraine intends to capture the nuclear power plant, although the U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi said after visiting the facility on August 27 that "there is now a danger of a nuclear incident here."

Separately on Thursday, Alexei Likhachev, the head of Russia's atomic energy agency Rosatom, told reporters at the Eastern Economic Forum that Russia is considering shutting down the nuclear power plant, but "so far, the decision to [disable it] has not been made."

"Firstly, the Kursk NPP is of great importance; it plays an important role in the energy supply of the entire region. This is extremely important now," Likhachev said. "For now, we believe that the security measures taken are sufficient."

The London-based Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) think tank said in analysis published on August 30 that Russia has "sought to capitalize on fears around nuclear safety by spreading unsubstantiated claims that the Kursk nuclear power plant is at risk of attack from Ukraine."

Without evidence, Russia has endeavored to paint a picture of the facility as "being in imminent danger from Ukrainian military attack."

"The Russian narrative appears to be yet another effort by Moscow to leverage nuclear safety and fears of a nuclear accident for political operational gain in its war against Ukraine," RUSI research fellow Darya Dolzikova said.

"As it stands, there is little operational or strategic incentive for Ukraine to threaten the safety of the facility."

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