DISINFO: West preparing possible CBRN provocations in Zaporizhzhia
SUMMARY
The demand of the US embassy in Kyiv for US citizens to leave Ukraine immediately may be related to the preparation of a provocation. Such a provocation may involve chemical, biological or nuclear weapons.
RESPONSE
This is an unsubstantiated claim by pro-Kremlin outlets made in the context of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.
There is no evidence proving that Ukraine or its Western partners are planning such actions. The US embassy in Ukraine issued a security alert on 14 July 2022 and urged US citizens to depart immediately - it was a general warning to be vigilant and an explaination what action must be taken in the event of danger.
The situation in Ukraine continues to be violent and unpredictable due to Russia’s unprovoked war of aggression. It is Russia which is often involved in provocations. Russian troops wanted to stage a provocation at an occupied atomic power plant in the Zaporizhzhia Region where they detained several workers and tortured them to confess that they had dropped weapons into the concrete bowls of the cooling ponds. Under this pretext, the occupiers insisted on draining the cooling ponds to check their bottoms and stop the pumps that supply water to the safety systems of power units. It might leave the power plant without cooling, which could threaten nuclear safety.
Russian forces also deployed artillery systems, rocket launchers, tanks and personnel carriers at the same power plant, turning it into a military base. They did it purposefully to prevent a Ukrainian counterattack.
Read more about the EU's responseto Russia's invasion of Ukraine along with EU vs Disinfo's Guide to Deciphering Pro-Kremlin disinformation around Putin's War.