Moscow Spreads Disinformation of Nuclear Plot Before U.S.-Ukraine Negotiations

Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation has reported a new wave of Russian disinformation alleging that Ukraine is planning a nuclear provocation at the Kursk nuclear power plant.

The accusations, which Kyiv has dismissed as baseless on March 11, have surfaced ahead of negotiations between Ukrainian and U.S. delegations in Saudi Arabia.

“On the eve of negotiations between the delegations of Ukraine and the United States in Saudi Arabia, Russian propaganda has again begun to throw fakes into the information space about Ukraine’s alleged preparation of a nuclear provocation.

Kremlin propagandists claim that “the Kyiv regime is preparing a provocation at the Kursk NPP,” the Center said in a statement.

Ukrainian officials have denied the allegations, emphasizing that similar accusations have been repeatedly used by Moscow to manipulate narratives about the war.

“The Kremlin wants to weaken Ukraine’s position before the negotiations and is trying to drive a wedge between Kyiv and Washington,” the agency said.

Russia has previously spread similar allegations about Ukraine’s supposed involvement in nuclear provocations, which have been widely dismissed by international observers.

The timing of this latest claim, officials say, suggests an effort to disrupt diplomatic efforts and shift attention away from Moscow’s own actions in the war.

Moscow has a pattern of accusing others of actions it appears poised to take itself.

Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused Western nations of “believing in Satan” and attempting to disrupt consensus within the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).