Zelensky claims Russia plotting to attack nuclear plants

In a forceful UN speech on Wednesday before of US elections, President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of planning possibly disastrous strikes on Ukrainian nuclear installations, which might drastically change the position of Kyiv’s principal partner.

Zelensky spoke at the yearly summit of world leaders to garner support prior to a high-profile visit to the White House on Thursday, during which the administration of President Joe Biden pledged fresh military assistance.

Speaking from the UN rostrum in a black polo jacket, Zelensky said that Russian President Vladimir Putin “does seem to be planning attacks on our nuclear power plants and the infrastructure, aiming to disconnect the plants from the power grid.”

“Any critical incident in the energy system could lead to a nuclear disaster. A day like that must never come,” Zelensky said.
“Moscow needs to understand this, and this depends in part on your determination to put pressure on the aggressor,” he told the General Assembly.

Shortly after his remarks, Putin made his most explicit threat yet to use nuclear weapons, saying Russia would consider such a response to a “massive” air attack on its soil.

Ukraine has been pushing the United States and its allies to ease restrictions on weapons that can strike deeper into Russia.
Russia captured the giant Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant soon after its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

In recent weeks it has been pounding Ukraine’s electricity grid, in what Western and Ukrainian officials describe as an attempt to leave the country shivering during the winter.