MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) –Russia on Friday accused Kyiv’s forces of striking Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest, and charged that the government of Volodymyr Zelensky was committing acts of “nuclear terrorism.”
Earlier Friday authorities in Kyiv accused the Russian army of striking the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant which is located in southeastern Ukraine.
“Ukrainian armed units carried out three artillery strikes on the territory of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and the city of Energodar,” the Russian defence ministry said in a statement.
“We are urging international organisations to condemn the criminal actions of the Zelensky regime, which is carrying out acts of nuclear terrorism.”
Russian troops took control of the plant in March after President Vladimir Putin sent troops to the pro-Western country on February 24.
Russia claimed that the strikes were carried out by the 45 artillery brigade of the Ukrainian armed forces.
As a result of the strikes, a hydrogen pipeline was damaged which led to a fire, the defence ministry said in a statement, adding that the blaze was quickly put out.
“Luckily, the Ukrainian shells did not hit the nearby oil and fuel facilities and the oxygen station, thus avoiding a bigger fire and a possible radiation accident at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant,” the defence ministry said.
This week the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said that the situation at the nuclear power plant was “volatile.”
“Every principle of safety has been violated one way or the other,” IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said.
© Agence France-Presse
