Kyiv: Ukraine And Russia traded fresh allegations of shelling at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant on Saturday, as its operator warned of the risk of a radioactive leak at the nuclear facility.
The Zaporizhzhia plant in southern Ukraine has been occupied by Russian troops since the opening of the invasion.
Kyiv and Moscow have repeatedly swapped allegations of rocket attacks around the plant – Europe’s largest – located in the city of Energodar.
operator on saturday energy Said Russian troops had “repeated shelling” in the past.
Russia’s Defense Ministry issued a counterclaim that Ukrainian troops were responsible for a salvo of 17 shells that landed at the site.
“As a result of periodic shelling, station infrastructure has been damaged, there are risks of hydrogen leaks and sputtering of radioactive materials, and the risk of fire is high,” Energotom said. Wire,
The agency said that as of Saturday afternoon (0900 GMT) the plant “operates with the risk of violations of radiation and fire safety standards”.
Russia’s defense ministry said Ukrainian forces “fired three times in the station area” from the town of Marganets across the Dnipro River.
In a release, the ministry accused Kyiv of “nuclear terrorism” and said the shells landed near areas storing fresh nuclear fuel and radioactive waste.
Yet radiation levels at the plant “remain normal”, the ministry said.
Energoatom said on Thursday, the plant was disconnected from Ukraine’s national power grid for the first time in four decades of history, due to “the actions of the invaders”.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the power cuts were caused by Russian shelling of the last active power line connecting the plant to the network.
It came back online on Friday afternoon but Zelensky warned “worst-case scenario … is being constantly provoked by the Russian military”.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is soliciting for a mission for the plant “to help stabilize the nuclear safety and security situation as soon as possible”.
Agency chief Rafael Mariano Grossi has said he intends to visit the site within a few days, warning of a possible disaster.
Lana Jarkal, adviser to Ukraine’s energy minister, said the IAEA’s inspection is “planned for next week”.
But Zerkal told Ukraine’s Radio NV late Thursday that he doubted the mission would go ahead despite Moscow’s formal agreement, because “they are artificially creating all the conditions so that the mission does not arrive at the site”.
– Energy divergence – Britain’s Defense Ministry said satellite imagery showed an increased presence of Russian troops at the power plant with armored personnel carriers deployed within 60 meters (200 feet) of a reactor.
Kyiv suspects that Moscow intends to divert power from the Zaporizhzhya plant captured by Russian troops in 2014 to the Crimean peninsula. Washington has warned against any such move.
“The electricity he produces is from Ukraine,” state Department Spokesman Vedant Patel Efforts to redirect power to the occupied territories were “unacceptable”, he told reporters.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – which this week entered its seventh month – has also prompted a wider global energy crisis.
Concerns over gas and oil supplies have driven prices up and on Friday both Germany and France reported record electricity prices for 2023, 10 times higher than this year.
The European Union – which declares itself a staunch ally of Ukraine – has vowed to wean its 27 member states away from Russian energy to counter the country’s attack on its neighbours.
On Friday the EU president vowed to hold an emergency summit to address the crisis as the winter months approach.
The Zaporizhzhia plant in southern Ukraine has been occupied by Russian troops since the opening of the invasion.
Kyiv and Moscow have repeatedly swapped allegations of rocket attacks around the plant – Europe’s largest – located in the city of Energodar.
operator on saturday energy Said Russian troops had “repeated shelling” in the past.
Russia’s Defense Ministry issued a counterclaim that Ukrainian troops were responsible for a salvo of 17 shells that landed at the site.
“As a result of periodic shelling, station infrastructure has been damaged, there are risks of hydrogen leaks and sputtering of radioactive materials, and the risk of fire is high,” Energotom said. Wire,
The agency said that as of Saturday afternoon (0900 GMT) the plant “operates with the risk of violations of radiation and fire safety standards”.
Russia’s defense ministry said Ukrainian forces “fired three times in the station area” from the town of Marganets across the Dnipro River.
In a release, the ministry accused Kyiv of “nuclear terrorism” and said the shells landed near areas storing fresh nuclear fuel and radioactive waste.
Yet radiation levels at the plant “remain normal”, the ministry said.
Energoatom said on Thursday, the plant was disconnected from Ukraine’s national power grid for the first time in four decades of history, due to “the actions of the invaders”.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the power cuts were caused by Russian shelling of the last active power line connecting the plant to the network.
It came back online on Friday afternoon but Zelensky warned “worst-case scenario … is being constantly provoked by the Russian military”.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is soliciting for a mission for the plant “to help stabilize the nuclear safety and security situation as soon as possible”.
Agency chief Rafael Mariano Grossi has said he intends to visit the site within a few days, warning of a possible disaster.
Lana Jarkal, adviser to Ukraine’s energy minister, said the IAEA’s inspection is “planned for next week”.
But Zerkal told Ukraine’s Radio NV late Thursday that he doubted the mission would go ahead despite Moscow’s formal agreement, because “they are artificially creating all the conditions so that the mission does not arrive at the site”.
– Energy divergence – Britain’s Defense Ministry said satellite imagery showed an increased presence of Russian troops at the power plant with armored personnel carriers deployed within 60 meters (200 feet) of a reactor.
Kyiv suspects that Moscow intends to divert power from the Zaporizhzhya plant captured by Russian troops in 2014 to the Crimean peninsula. Washington has warned against any such move.
“The electricity he produces is from Ukraine,” state Department Spokesman Vedant Patel Efforts to redirect power to the occupied territories were “unacceptable”, he told reporters.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – which this week entered its seventh month – has also prompted a wider global energy crisis.
Concerns over gas and oil supplies have driven prices up and on Friday both Germany and France reported record electricity prices for 2023, 10 times higher than this year.
The European Union – which declares itself a staunch ally of Ukraine – has vowed to wean its 27 member states away from Russian energy to counter the country’s attack on its neighbours.
On Friday the EU president vowed to hold an emergency summit to address the crisis as the winter months approach.