Ukraine claims Russia planning false flag attack on Belarus nuclear plant

Ukraine’s Defense Ministry on Sunday claimed that Russia is planning a false flag attack on a major nuclear power plant in Belarus as part of an alleged effort to rope the country into its war against Ukraine.

The ministry’s intelligence arm said in a release that Russian special forces were planning “several terrorist attacks” across Belarus and are targeting critical infrastructure located near European Union and Ukrainian borders, including the Ostrovets nuclear power plant near the Lithuanian border.

“All this should accelerate the involvement of the Belarusian army in the war in Ukraine,” the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said, “as well as to create the necessary public opinion for the Kremlin in Belarusian society.”

Ukrainian intelligence also claimed that Ukrainian people or members of NATO countries would be dressed in Belarusian military uniforms and then blamed for the attack.

The Pentagon said in a statement that it was closely monitoring the conflict but would “not speculate on hypothetical situations.”

The Hill has reached out to the Russian Embassy in Washington for comment.

The allegation came as Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which has been controlled by Russian forces since March, was rocked by shelling over the weekend, with Kyiv and Moscow trading blame, Reuters reported.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday told NATO leaders during a video address, “We all need guaranteed protection from Russian sabotage at nuclear facilities.”

The U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War think tank reported in an assessment this week that it is unlikely Belarus will invade Ukraine, noting the General Armed Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces has not observed military formations from Belarus.

In October, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko announced the deployment of Belarusian troops along with Russian soldiers near the border of Ukraine.

Around 9,000 Russian troops were reportedly deployed to the Belarusian border in the joint task force.

Belarus also served as a staging ground for Russian deployment in the early phases of the war and has remained a key ally for the Kremlin.

According to a recent update from the General Armed Staff of Ukraine, Belarus continues to provide Russia with infrastructure, territory and airspace and “forces of the Russian Federation fly almost daily in the airspace of the Republic of Belarus.”

Russia has faced heavy losses in the war and this month was forced to retreat from the city of Kherson in the south in a major victory for Ukraine.

—Updated at 3:10 p.m.