A major Russian general said that nuclear warfare is on the table in the ongoing war with Ukraine, ushering in a new heightened sense of security nearly six months into the conflict.
Major General Valery Vasiliev, according to a Telegram post published on Monday by Ukrainian state nuclear agency Energoatom, said that Russia has mined the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant and that he has command of the garrison.
The shelling of Europe's largest nuclear facility was deemed "Russian nuclear terror" by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
"I'm extremely concerned by the shelling at Europe's largest nuclear power plant, which underlines the very real risk of a nuclear disaster that could threaten public health and the environment in Ukraine and beyond," Grossi said in a statement.
These are not the first nuclear-based threats to come from Russian officials during the conflict, even as Russian President Vladimir Putin has publicly pledged to avoid the prospect of a nuclear disaster that would lead to "no winners.".
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