A 'Trap' for Russia: Expert Comments on West's Attitude Towards ZNPP Attacks

The behavior of the West, which is "sponsoring" and "backing" Ukraine's strikes on the Zaporozhye nuclear plant while implying that Russia will be blamed in case of a nuclear disaster on the station, is "actually a trap for Russia," Research Fellow at the Institute for Pan-African Thought and Conversation at the South African University of Johannesburg, Chidochashe Nyere, told Sputnik Africa.

The actions of the Western countries do not align with their rhetoric; "they say one thing, and they do something different," the expert stressed. In this case, "they want Russia to fall for the trap to do something, and therefore they will say they are reacting to Russia's strike, but they are not condemning their own."

"This is typical of the West, actually, as a collective. That narrative that they say is one thing, the rhetoric is one thing, and the action is totally different - this is typical of what has happened. So they are doing something; the action here that they are sponsoring, that they are backing, is that of a strike on Russia. So that's the action. Yet the rhetoric is that of saying, 'Do not strike back'," he explained.

So far, not only were there no condemnation by the West of the Ukrainian actions, but, also, after the attack on the nuclear station, US State Department official Matthew Miller urged Russia to "withdraw its military and civilian personnel from the plant" and to "refrain from taking any actions that could result in a nuclear incident at the plant."

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Speaking about the lack of condemnation of Kiev in the Western media, the political scientist highlighted that the media's independence "has been jeopardized," referring to a hidden interest of some businesses in this conflict, which may be profiting from the supply of arms and "want, therefore, to control the narrative."

"So we cannot neglect the fact that there may be some elements of business that are also double-dipping in this war. So they are providing arms, and they are making money through this war, and they want, therefore, to control the narrative. This is the modus operandi of big business, anyway," Nyere stressed.

The expert also expressed his concerns about the International Atomic Energy Agency’s report on the matter, emphasizing that "while it speaks of minimal damage," it is "very concerning" and saying that the organization is "worried that the continued attack would result in something more serious."

"The world should be worried, as it already is, that this could escalate into a potentially charged conflict. So it is worrisome. It is unfortunate, but it is also very worrisome, that big countries, big powers continue to put people's lives at risk for whatever gains they perceive. It is really not worth it, because, at the end of the day, we only have this [...] universe [...] that we share. So, an amicable solution would be ideal. But given the protracted nature of the conflict, the chances are very thin and slim," he added.

Nyere underlined that the international community should denounce the strikes on the nuclear power plant "unequivocally," noting that the potential danger that they put the world in is "catastrophic."

A number of drone attacks have been conducted by the Kiev regime on the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant recently. As a result of the strike on Sunday, three workers at the plant were injured, the Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom said.