WASHINGTON — The Ukrainian government claims it has intelligence indicating Russia may try to launch a false flag attack on the Chernobyl nuclear station, which they would blame on Ukrainian forces.
The Ukrainian government did not offer any proof to back up these claims.
The accusations were posted on social media because most of Ukraine's official government websites remain down after reported cyberattacks in the early days of the Russian invasion.
"The creation of a technological catastrophe is planned at the controlled Russian forces of the CAEC, the responsibility for which the occupiers will try to translate to Ukraine," a translation of the Facebook post, written by the Chief Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, said.
Chernobyl has been non-operational since a 1986 meltdown at the plant became one of the most prolific nuclear disasters in history. Since then, it has been encased in a concrete shell and constantly monitored to prevent radiation leaks.
Russian troops took control of the defunct nuclear reactor two weeks ago in the early days of fighting.
On Wednesday, Ukrainian officials said Russian forces had disconnected Chernobyl from the power grid, potentially jeopardizing the cooling of nuclear material still at the site.
Russia’s deputy energy minister said Thursday that electricity lines had since been repaired, but the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said that claim couldn't be confirmed.
The accusations by...
QUEENSLAND— A nurse in Australia has been formally reprimanded after admitting he submitted forged documents to Qantas (QF) in an attempt to secure a refund for a non-refundable airline ticket. Th...