Russia compares Ukraine to Daesh and claims that Kiev is killing civilians and engaging in nuclear terrorism

Russia has compared Ukraine to Daesh, claiming that Kyiv has hatched numerous terrorist plots similar to those of the Takfiri terrorist group and targeting civilians.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Russian news agency Sputnik on Friday that, like Daesh, Kyiv has “extensive plans for terrorist activities in its arsenal – from blowing up civilian infrastructure and killing civilians to nuclear terrorism.”

Zakharova warned that the Zaporozhye and Kursk nuclear power plants in western Russia were “targets of criminal terrorist attacks by the Kiev regime.” Zaporozhye is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, while the Kursk plant is the third largest in Russia.

Earlier on the same day, the Russian Defense Ministry said that Kiev had attempted to attack the Kursk nuclear power plant and described the attempt as an act of “nuclear terrorism.”

The ministry said its air defense units shot down three intruding Ukrainian drones in the region overnight.

In separate remarks, Zakharova said the attack required an immediate response from the United Nations nuclear agency, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

On August 6, Ukraine invaded the Kursk region with around 1,000 soldiers, whereupon the Kremlin declared a state of emergency and evacuated 3,000 civilians.

Since the Ukrainian invasion, the largest invasion against Russia since World War II, heavy fighting has been taking place in the region.

Putin’s decisive response

On Thursday, Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov said President Vladimir Putin had formulated a response to the invasion.

“I tell you sincerely that the president has made a decision,” Russian news agency ITAR-TASS quoted Antonov as saying. “I am firmly convinced that everyone will be severely punished for what happened in the Kursk region,” he added.

In February 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine, partly to prevent NATO's eastward expansion, after warning that the US-led military alliance was pursuing an “aggressive line” toward Moscow.

Through their uncontrolled arms deliveries to Ukraine, Western countries further fuelled the war.