Russia surveilling Ukrainian nuclear facilities with Chinese satellites for possible future strikes, Zelensky says
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Russia is using Chinese satellites to take pictures of Ukraine's nuclear facilities for possible future attacks, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with ABC News aired on Sept. 24.
"The recent information is that Russia has been using Chinese satellites and taking photos of the details of the objects on nuclear facilities," the president said.
"And in our experience, if Russia takes photos of certain objects, then there is a threat of strikes against the nuclear objects."
He did not elaborate on whether Chinese satellites were commercial or controlled by the Chinese government.
Zelensky 's remarks come after warnings from Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, who said on Sept. 21 that Russia's possible targets include open distribution devices at nuclear power plants (NPP) and transmission substations "which are essential for the safe functioning of the nuclear energy system."
Ukraine's special services informed Kyiv's partners and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) about the threat.
There are three operating nuclear power plants on the Ukrainian-held territory — Rivne and Khmelnytskyi NPPs in the country's west, and Pivdennoukrainsk NPP in the south. Russia's regular attacks put their safety in jeopardy by cutting off power to the units.
The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Europe's largest nuclear power station, has been under Russian occupation since March 2022.
Throughout its occupation, the plant has been repeatedly disconnected from the Ukrainian power grid due to Russian attacks on the country's energy infrastructure.
Ukraine's National Resistance Center reported on Sept. 15 that Russian forces continued to use the territory of the occupied power plant to deploy military personnel and store ammunition and explosives.
