Zaporizhzhia is currently under Russian control. Zelensky accused Russia of blowing up a hydroelectric dam that was also under Russian control and had been since early in the war in 2022. The Nova Kakhovka dam failure led to severe flooding and evacuations and came shortly after Ukraine began their long-anticipated counter offensive against Russia. Russia staged an invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and the US has been backing the nation with billions of dollars as well as arms and other aid.
"We have just had a report from our intelligence and the Security Service of [Ukraine]," Zelensky stated on Twitter. "Intelligence has received information that Russia is considering a scenario of a terrorist attack on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. A terrorist attack with radiation leakage.
"They have prepared everything for this. Unfortunately, I have repeatedly had to remind that radiation has no state borders, and who it will hit is determined only by the wind direction. We share all available information with our partners – everyone in the world. All the evidence. Europe, America, China, Brazil, India, the Arab world, Africa – all countries, absolutely everyone should know this. International organizations. Everyone. There should never be any terrorist attacks on nuclear power plants anywhere. This time it should not be like with Kakhovka – the world has been warned, so the world can and must act."
In a video message accompanying the tweet, Zelensky addressed Ukrainians and the world, explaining the report from Ukrainian intelligence, and again accusing Russia of staging the dam explosion. However, per reporting in December 2022 from the Washington Post, Ukraine had used American HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems) to stage a dam explosion. This was reportedly a test strike.
After the Nova Kakhovka dam broke, the Ukrainian-held portion of Kherson was submerged and residents had to evacuate. Residents had to leave their towns and villages behind. On the Russian-controlled side, the local mayor of Nova Kakhovka, installed after Russian forces took over the area, said the water had risen some 36 feet. The Kremlin said it was Ukrainian sabotage.
Zelensky had also accused Russia of blowing up the Nord Stream pipeline that delivered natural gas from Russia to Germany. According to recently leaked documents from Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira, who is facing criminal charges due to the leak, the Biden administration apparently had three months' notice that the pipeline was a target of Ukraine's, and that a team of Ukrainian divers were prepping for that mission.
Ukraine has continued to ask for more aid from the US as well as weapons, and Zelensky has criticized Americans who are opposed to further funding. This as the counter offensive appears to be losing efficacy.
