Regarding the strike on the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant

In 2022, during the capture of the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant (ChNPP), Russian occupation forces considered staging a strike with a Tochka-U tactical missile system on the sarcophagus, followed by blaming Ukrainian forces for the attack.  

This provocation was meant to signal to Kyiv and Ukraine’s supporting nations that, in the event of a counteroffensive by the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF), the Russian occupying command was prepared to take extreme measures to prevent the loss of seized territories.  

Then came the seizure of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), where the occupiers regularly interfered with its operations and staged false-flag attacks using artillery, rocket systems, and drones to simulate strikes by the UAF. These actions by Russian forces escalated particularly in 2023, when expectations of a Ukrainian counteroffensive in the south were mounting.  

Moreover, whenever the Russian army faces a critical failure, Russian propaganda immediately activates its “nuclear megaphone”—either issuing threats of nuclear strikes against adversary nations or spreading falsehoods about Ukraine allegedly assembling “dirty atomic bombs.” They also resort to threats of attacks or seizures of the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant.  

Essentially, the Russian totalitarian machine reactivates its “nuclear threats” playbook whenever it encounters serious challenges. And it is no coincidence that the strike on the ChNPP coincided with an intensified discussion in the media space about phone calls from the U.S. president and proposals coming from Washington. Proposals that Russian propaganda already presents as a Kremlin victory—but if that were truly the case, why strike the ChNPP?  

It seems that the Kremlin’s attempt to “reshape the world” is not proceeding as smoothly as it wants to portray. Just like in 2022, 2023, and 2024, it is once again using the “nuclear threats” scenario to pressure both Kyiv and the West. A cornered rat whose actions could lead to a global catastrophe. And the Western world should have long understood a simple truth—you don’t negotiate with rats; you exterminate them. Unless, of course, the Western world and Donald Trump personally enjoy being pressured.

Alexander Kovalenko