#NuclearBlackmail: Russia strikes #Chornobyl as world leaders gather for Munich Security Conference

The strike is likely more signaling on #Russia’s part

The Munich Security Conference, historically a show of force by #NATO, started on Feb. 14. Andriy Yermak, the head of the president’s office, wrote, “The atmosphere (at #Munich) right now is such that everyone in Munich is very angry because of this news.”

https://kyivindependent.com/nuclear-blackmail-russia-strikes-chornobyl-as-munich-security-conference-kicks-off/

#Nuclear #escalation fears can’t override Ukraine’s right to defend itself

While Russia wields imperial dreams and #nuclear #threats, the world suffocates — both under the weight of #war and the smog of neglect

https://kyivindependent.com/opinion-nuclear-escalation-fears-cant-override-ukraines-right-to-defend-itself/

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova received a call during her Nov. 21 press briefing instructing her NOT to comment on the ballistic missile attacks on Ukraine

The attack involved an intercontinental ballistic #missile (ICBM). If confirmed, it would mark the FIRST use of an #ICBM in war, a weapon primarily designed for long-range #nuclear strikes.

https://kyivindependent.com/russian-fm-spokesperson-asked-not-to-comment-on-ballistic-missile-strike-on-ukraine-during-briefing/

Russia considering changes to its nuclear doctrine due to developments “related to lowering the threshold for the use of #nuclear weapons”

#Putin has repeatedly made nuclear threats against the West. The threats failed to materialize

#G7 issued a statement on June 14 warning Russia against using nuclear weapons in Ukraine, noting Moscow’s "posture of strategic #intimidation."

https://kyivindependent.com/russia-considering-changes-to-nuclear-doctrine-putin-claims/

Experts at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) continue to be denied access to the reactor halls of units 1, 2, and 6 of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP)

These restrictions are impeding the #IAEA’s ability to assess the safety & security, confirming reported status of reactor units, spent fuel ponds & safety equipment

https://kyivindependent.com/iaea-experts-continue-to-be-denied-access-to-reactor-halls-at-russian-occupied-zaporizhzhia-nuclear-plant/

Timothy Snyder, a week ago: "The Russians played Musk the same way that social media plays the rest of us, seeking out a personal anxiety, getting us to act on it, then profiting from the cognitive dissonance."
#nuclearblackmail
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/sep/17/elon-musk-likes-to-think-he-saved-us-from-armageddon-hes-just-brought-it-closer

What an excellent observation by #TimothySnyder (unfortunately not yet in the #Fediverse):

"In presenting Musk’s psychological vulnerability as wartime glory, the biography invites us into a world where our baseless fears are the truth, and the real courage of others the distraction. The Russians played Musk the same way that social media plays the rest of us, seeking out a personal anxiety, getting us to act on it, then profiting from the cognitive dissonance."

#Ukraine #SpaceKaren #Putin #NuclearBlackmail

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/sep/17/elon-musk-likes-to-think-he-saved-us-from-armageddon-hes-just-brought-it-closer

#IAEA chief to present agreement on Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant to UN

It was fully disconnected from the Ukrainian power grid several times due to regular Russian attacks on the country’s energy infrastructure.

Since Russian forces occupied the plant, they have used it as a military base from which to launch attacks

https://kyivindependent.com/reuters-iaea-chief-to-present-agreement-on-nuclear-plant/

Andriy Zagorodnyuk: #Putin is using nuclear threats to scare the West into limiting its support for #Ukraine. If Russia’s #nuclearblackmail succeeds, it will have disastrous consequences for international #security and spark a global nuclear arms race. #RussiaIsATerroristState https://twitter.com/biz_ukraine_mag/status/1616418408010072064?s=12&t=IPInh17KJ1Sdis4OntirRQ