If Ukraine attacks Zaporizhzhia nuclear station, Russia will show tough response

Russia will show an extremely tough response should Ukraine attack the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), Maria Zakharova, an official spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry said at a briefing.

"Russia will show an extremely tough response to any attacks that Ukraine may conduct against the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant and its critical infrastructure facilities, including power supply lines of the station and, of course, the city of Enerhodar, where station employees and their families live,” she said.

Russia has never deployed offensive weapons on the territory of the station nor does it plan to do so, Zakharova said. According to her, Russian forces on the territory of the ZNPP are only there to defend the station from Ukraine's attacks.

Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced his visit to the Zaporizhzhia NPP. Due to the lack of water supplies for cooling pools, the power plant may stop operating, Grossi said. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said on May 31 that Kyiv had blocked all of Grossi's initiatives to ensure security at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.