Russia warns it will retaliate “strictly” if Ukraine targets Kursk plant

MOSCOW, Russia's ministry of defense said on Saturday that it would immediately and "strictly" retaliate to any attempts by Ukraine to attack the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant, which is west of the Russian and adjacent to Ukrainian's border. In a statement, the ministry said that it received confirmed intelligence information from independent channels about Kiev readiness to carry out airstrikes on the Kursk plant, adding that it takes seriously this information. The statement described Kiev regime action as a "direct violation" of the international agreement adopted by the UN General Assembly resolution of 2005 on combating terrorism. Carrying out such an attack aims to create a "disaster" that causes radioactive contamination to wide areas, the statement said. The statement noted that the Ukraine's plot, according to its information, aims to accuse Russia of bombing the plant as a justification that allows Moscow to hit Ukraine's nuclear plants. On Friday, Russia's security apparatuses announced that Ukrai ne's forces were planning to attack the Kursk and Zaporizhzhia plants, adding that they transported nuclear warheads to a province central Ukraine. The Ukrainian side has not refuted this. In addition, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday his forces advanced towards Kursk, the first incursion in its kind. Meanwhile, Kiev declared its military operations aim to create a buffer zone inside Kursk. Thus, Russia announced a state of emergency in the province, in coincidence with the evacuation of some villages in Belgorod city. Source: Kuwait News Agency