Risk of disaster at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant slowly decreasing – Ukrainian Intelligence Chief
Kyrylo Budanov, Chief of Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, has said that the risk of a Russian terrorist attack on the occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is "slowly decreasing".
Source: Budanov in an interview with The Times
Quote: "We are doing certain actions in this area, both public and not public, and I think that now the danger of an artificial technogenic catastrophe is quietly going down."
Details: Earlier, Budanov had warned citizens of the possibility of Russian sabotage at the occupied Zaporizhzhia NPP.
For reasons he refused to disclose, he said that this threat is now diminishing – even though President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the occupation forces were planting explosives there.
Previously: The Kremlin had claimed that Budanov was dead or wounded, but media reports noted that "for a man who is claimed by his enemies to be lying in a coma in a Berlin hospital, Ukraine’s spymaster looked in remarkably good health."
The Kremlin was so convinced that Budanov was killed in a drone missile strike on his headquarters on Rybalsky Island in late May that Russian President Vladimir Putin boasted of the "accuracy" of the attack.
However, Budanov, 37, said in an interview that he felt professionally gratified by Russia's repeated attempts to kill him: "It's like a compliment for me. It gives me feedback that I’m on the right track in my work. It's like a medal."
Instead, Budanov's attention was drawn to Defence Intelligence's analysis of a secret internal study conducted by the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs on the level of public support during the Wagner coup in Russia.
Budanov is convinced that Russia is ripe for civil war.
Background:
- On 20 June, Kyrylo Budanov, Chief of Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, said that the threat of an explosion at the ZNPP was real, since the occupiers had additionally mined the plant's cooler.
- On 22 June, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russia was probably preparing to commit a terrorist attack at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which could lead to a radiation leak.
- On 25 June, Kyrylo Budanov said he was convinced that the plan to blow up the ZNPP by Russians had been fully developed and approved, and the threat had never been so great.
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