Russia not to nuke Ukraine but blast at NPP seems possible - Duda

President of Poland Andrzej Duda  says Russia is unlikely to use nuclear weapons against Ukraine, while admitting the possibility that the invaders could stage an incident at the Ukrainian nuclear power plant.

The president addressed the issue in an interview with The Washington Post, Ukrinform reports.

"No, I think that Russia will not resort to using nuclear weapons in Ukraine," Duda said.

Duda explained that Russia’s nuclear arsenal is “under collective control of many people” so the decision to strike would not be “up to the sole discretion of just Vladimir Putin.”

"If someone were to ask me about the nuclear threat, I am much more concerned about potential problems with the nuclear power plants in Ukraine," the Polish leader said.

According to him, it is more likely that something that would look like a nuclear accident could happen.

"Because in my view, in my conviction here, the threat of an explosion [at a nuclear plant] is much greater than in the case of using nuclear arms," said Duda.

In this connection, Duda recalled the tragedy at the Chornobyl NPP in 1986.

As reported, overnight Thursday, August 10, the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, temporarily held by Russian troops, lost power from the main 750 kV external power transmission line with. The station had to be switched to the only available 330 kV backup line, and in case of its failure all external power feeding the NPP will be lost.

The ZNPP has been under the full control of the Russian army since March 4, 2022. Since then, the Russians have repeatedly violated the principles of nuclear safety, deploying military equipment in the plant premises, mining the area, and terrorizing personnel.