Russia continues its propaganda campaign to discredit the Ukrainian authorities and blackmail the West by nuclear threatsagainst the background of the successful results of the NATO Summit in Washington and the adoption the UN General Assembly’s Resolution on Safety and Security of Nuclear Facilities in Ukraine. The official statements of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, in particular, Maria Zakharova, are the basis for new provocations and threats aimed at intimidating both Ukraine and Western countries.
Maria Zakharova made a provocative statement about Ukraine’s alleged intentions to destroy the dams of the Kyiv and Kaniv HPPs. This may indicate that the Russian special services are planning to carry out sabotage or terrorist attacks on the critical infrastructure of Ukraine. Such a statement is a provocation that can be used to justify future attacks by Russia against the civilian infrastructure of Ukraine and to avoid responsibility for war crimes.
The political tone of Zakharova’s statements is not only moral and psychological pressure on Ukrainian society, but also a direct challenge to the West. Her statement is a catastrophic scenario that could take place in any Western country, including nuclear blackmail and the destruction of people, facilities and ecosystems. This statement is a continuation of the threats of the Deputy Secretary of the Russian Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, regarding the need for the complete destruction of Ukraine.
Russia continues to use the narrative of NATO’s helplessness and slow progress, blackmailing and testing the response of Ukraine’s partners to the provision of promised assistance. Russian authorities can provoke large-scale disasters and destabilize Western countries by its threats to the civilian sector, in particular on the eve of the Olympics in Paris. Moscow is trying to intimidate the Ukrainian population, creating the conditions for a wave of migration and pressure on the West with the onset of winter.
The West should urgently take measures to support Ukraine and protect critical objects. It is necessary to review the security strategy, in particular the protection of the civilian population, taking into account Russia’s terrorist methods of hybrid warfare. Ukraine has no reason to destroy its own infrastructure, creatingthreats to its own population.
It is the Russian regime that bears responsibility for its war crimes. The barbaric attack of a Russian missile on the main Children’s Specialized Hospital of Ukraine “Ohmatdyt” speaks for itself. Russian aggression is the only reason for threats to civilians and destruction of critical infrastructure in Ukraine. If Moscow carries out its criminal intentions with the dams of the Kyiv HPP, the Kaniv Reservoir or other infrastructure, only Russia will beresponsibility for it as the aggressor state. The purpose of such Moscow’s statements is to intimidate Ukrainian society and deceive the international community.
Russia’s strategy is to accuse others of what it is doing or going to do. Another Russian fantasy about the Dnieper dams is the wake-up call for the international community to monitor Russia’s actions closely. Last year, Russia committed the biggest man-made crime in Europe in recent decades, blowing up the Kakhovka HPP. The main purpose of such statements is to cause panic among Ukrainians and force the West to make concessions. The enemy expects that frightened Ukrainians will demand capitulation to Russia.
