On July 19, a wave of panic swept through Russia on social networks due to an alleged radioactive accident at the Rostov NPP and emissions into the atmosphere. The Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU) commented on the situation in the Russian Federation and its possible influence on Ukraine.
Points of attention
- DIU commented on the situation with the radiation accident at the Rostov NPP and its possible impact on Ukraine.
- The technological degradation of Russia may lead to man-made problems.
- Publications on social networks and statements of official representatives regarding the accident at the Rostov NPP are causing panic among the Russian population.
- The Russian authorities deny the existence of a radiation threat, pointing to other technical reasons for power supply problems.
- Problems with energy supply in the south of Russia, caused by a possible accident at the Rostov NPP, are spreading to different regions of the country.
DIU responded to the accident at the Rostov NPP
DIU commented on rumors about a powerful accident with a radioactive release at the Rostov NPP, which was allegedly carried by the wind to the territory of southern Russia.
Andriy Yusov, a DIU representative, said Ukrainian military intelligence was familiar with this information.
Indeed, we are aware. This data is currently being verified. In general, the technological degradation of modern Russia can potentially lead to man-made problems and situations where the Russian economy pours all its resources into a war of aggression against Ukraine, so the civilian sphere suffers.
Andriy Yusov
DIU representative
Yusov noted that this is especially clear in the example of civil aviation of the Russian Federation, when planes fall, and other areas of the economy.
This is the choice of the Putin regime and those who support it. A war of aggression against Ukraine is more important to them than development and security, including in energy.
Russians are panicking because of information about radioactive output at the Rostov NPP
Russian social networks report radiation output after the accident at the Rostov NPP. The authorities traditionally deny that there was an accident at the station, but the southern regions of the aggressor country currently have problems with the supply of electricity. Panic is growing in social networks, and Russians are recalling Chornobyl.
Some local bloggers and mass media reported on the radiation leak on July 19. According to them, the emergency discharge of radioactive water was allegedly not localised at the Rostov NPP and "there is a constant leakage of radiation." The authorities of the Rostov region assure that "the Rostov NPP works without malfunctioning" and declare that all reports about the leak are fake news.
But social networks are discussing the topic: the radiation cloud is allegedly moving deep into Russia. Maps of possible pollution have already appeared.
According to official data from Rosatom, Rostov's radioactive background is normal. However, netizens are sure it has exceeded the norm by 75 times.
Andrii Kovalenko, head of the Center for Combating Disinformation (CCD) at the NSDC, also published information about the alleged leak.
Radioactive accident at the Rostov NPP. The radiation cloud is moving deep into Russia. These are also consequences of "SMO", by the way.
The Russian authorities pretend that there was no accident at the Rostov NPP
The Kremlin denies the accident at the Rostov NPP. In particular, the illegitimate president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, has already stated that the blackout in the south of the Russian Federation allegedly occurred due to the uncontrolled distribution of electricity for cryptocurrency mining.
According to economist Maxim Blunt, Russia officially declares that problems with electricity supply arose due to a false alarm about an accident at the Rostov NPP. The Russian authorities pretend that everything is fine and there is no problem.
Now it is unclear what happened at this Rostov NPP and how serious this accident really was. In Russia, there were cases when nuclear power plants were "expropriated". There was a case when crypto-currency was "mined" on Rosatom's computers.
According to propaganda media, severe problems with electricity supply in the south of the Russian Federation have been going on for the second day after the shutdown of the reactor at the Rostov NPP. In particular, there is no light in resort towns where there is a large flow of vacationers, in particular in Gelendzhik and Anapa.
Due to the accident, 100 streets of Gelendzhik city and neighbouring resort villages were left without electricity... The problem with the power supply began on the July 16th — at the same time, the temperature in Gelendzhik reaches 37°. Residents complain about power outages throughout the city — medicines and food spoil, elevators don't work, and appliances run out of power.
In the Krasnodar region, energy supply restrictions are also being introduced against the backdrop of extreme heat. In Krasnodar, there was an emergency power outage due to the failure of more than 70 substations. In Rostov-on-Don, the regime of fan shutdowns was canceled, but in some areas of the city, the supply of energy is limited. There are also problems in Stavropolsky Krai, and restrictions have been introduced in Dagestan as well.
