2023-07-05 13:49:01
KIEV (AP) — Ukraine and Russia accused each other Wednesday of attacking one of the world’s largest nuclear plants, which is located in southeastern Ukraine and is occupied by Russian soldiers. However, neither party provided evidence to back up their claims.
Citing intelligence reports, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russian troops placed “objects that looked like explosives on the roof of various power units” at the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant. The objects might be used to “simulate” an attack, he added, noting that it might be a fake attack.
A statement from the General Staff of the Ukrainian armed forces noted that “foreign objects” were placed on the outer roof of the third and fourth power units of the plant.
“Its detonation should not damage power units, but might create an image of shelling from Ukraine,” the statement said.
In Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov raised the specter of a potentially “catastrophic” provocation by the Ukrainian military at the nuclear plant, which is the largest in Europe but has all six of its reactors shut down.
“The situation is quite tense. There is a huge threat of sabotage by the kyiv regime, which can have catastrophic consequences,” Peskov said in response to a journalist’s question. He also claimed that the Kremlin is taking “all measures” to counter the alleged Ukrainian threat.
His comments came following Renat Karchaa, an adviser to Russia’s state nuclear company Rosenergoatom, said there was “no basis” for Zelenskyy’s claims of a plot to stage an explosion. The Ukrainian leader made the accusation in his late-night video speech on Tuesday.
Ukraine has warned for months regarding Russian plans to provoke a deliberate release of radiation from the plant, citing internal intelligence reports. Ukrainian officials have alleged that Moscow might try to sabotage the plant to derail kyiv’s ongoing counter-offensive in the surrounding Zaporizhia region.
Russia occupied the plant in the early stages of the war. Over the past year, Russia and Ukraine have repeatedly accused each other of bombing the facility.
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