Foreign objects “resembling explosive devices” have been placed on the outer roof of the third and fourth reactor buildings of the occupied Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), the Armed Forces of Ukraine said in a Facebook post on July 4.
Last I saw from the IAEA, ZNPP is on backup power to keep the pumps running after the main external power connector was lost. They have lost power 7 times now. The situation appears precarious with or without alleged explosives. The facility needs to be demilitarized and put under international control pending the resolution of this war but I doubt it will.
Given their actions around chernobyl, I don’t doubt it.
If they cause a nuclear accident can NATO finally get involved? Enough is enough.
A NATO member will have to invoke Article 5, and NATO delegates will meet to discuss and vote on if it deserves NATO deployment. The annual summit in Lithuania is being held next week and Ukraine is expecting an invitation to join. What Russia is prepared to do if that happens… 🤷♀️
US Congress is trying to get the Commander-in-Chief (Biden) to go on record saying that blowing the power plant will trigger a NATO response, but US Congress isn’t NATO’s boss. It is pretty commonly accepted that unprovoked deployment of nuclear weapons by anyone anywhere (but especially by Russia in Ukraine) will trigger a NATO-led response.
The U.S. Senate is drafting a resolution for just that. They mentioned that there has already been an urging to have Biden’s administration meet with NATO and EU allies to already prepare for the scenario, diplomatically and militarily.
Based on the willingness to make this public, I imagine that if radioactive fallout were to pollute an allies land, the war crys from Democrats and Republicans alike would force Biden’s hand, as much as forcing the U.S. President does to force NATO. Regardless, Stoltenberg has made his beliefs well known to the point that I doubt he would even wait for a push from the U.S. if the situation occurs.
If enough fallout hits an allied nation to warrant hitting the Big Red Button A.K.A. Article 5.
