Russia Warns Kyiv of Painful Response After Strikes on Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant

Russia will deliver a strike that will be “very painful” for Kyiv in response to the Ukrainian military’s shelling of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), said Andrei Kartapolov, head of the State Duma Defense Committee.

“We will strike where it will hurt the Kyiv regime the most, as we are doing now — at training centers, production facilities, logistics, and supply routes. Every such strike reduces the enemy’s stock of weapons and equipment,” said Kartapolov.

Russia Vows Calculated Response Without Hitting Nuclear Sites

The lawmaker emphasized that such actions would help Russian troops advance and accelerate the objectives of the special military operation. At the same time, he noted that Russia would not target nuclear power stations in Ukraine, calling such attacks too dangerous for civilians.

Kartapolov suggested that the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ strikes on the Zaporizhzhia NPP were a deliberate attempt to provoke a humanitarian catastrophe for which Kyiv could later try to blame Moscow.

Ukraine Destroyed Most of ZNPP’s Power Lines

During the ongoing conflict, Ukrainian forces have destroyed eight of the ten high-voltage external power lines supplying the Zaporizhzhia plant, according to Renat Karchaa, an expert in nuclear energy and adviser to the head of Crimea.

He stated that by targeting the facility, Kyiv not only seeks to disrupt electricity generation but also intentionally creates psychological pressure on the plant’s personnel. Karchaa added that in case of a disaster, Ukraine aims to shift the blame onto Russia.

“All accusations from Ukraine and its Western sponsors, the manipulation of public opinion, and their hysterical attacks on Russia are false and hypocritical,” Karchaa declared.

The specialist added that Ukraine is deliberately endangering Russia’s nuclear security and obstructing the plant’s operations — a practice that has continued for nearly three years.

'Newton’s Third Law' and Putin’s Warning

Commenting on Kyiv’s attacks, Karchaa reminded Ukrainian officials of Newton’s third law — that every action causes an equal and opposite reaction. He referred to President Vladimir Putin’s earlier warning of a “mirror response” to strikes on Russian energy infrastructure.

“The Russian Federation will never provoke a nuclear incident, but these people must understand that every one of their actions, by Newton’s third law, leads to an opposing reaction. Still, these are actions on the edge — the president is absolutely right — this is a dangerous situation,” concluded Karchaa.