Alleged Russian shelling causes fire in Ukraine’s largest nuclear power plant – Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (Image: Twitter/@Podolyak_M)
The Russian defence ministry said that this was an effort to blame the Russians in case any environmental threat emerges from the experimental nuclear reactor
Russia accused Ukraine of attacking a experimental nuclear reactor in Kharkiv on Monday and use it to falsely accuse Russia of the act, Russian news agency TASS reported.
The Russian defence ministry accused the Ukrainian army and the Azov battalion of planning to blow up a reactor at the National Research Centre of the Kharkov Institute of Physics and Technology. It would be followed with allegations claiming that Russians were behind the act, the Russian defence ministry said.
The defence ministry in a statement, accessed by Russia’s TASS news agency, said that the ‘nationalist’ forces of Ukraine planted a mine in the area. “Nationalists mined a reactor at an experimental nuclear system located at the National Research Centre of Kharkov Institute of Physics and Technology. The Ukrainian military and the Azov battalion militants are planning to blow up the reactor and accuse the Russian Armed Forces of allegedly launching a missile strike on an experimental nuclear system,” the Russian defence ministry said in a release.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian news agency the Kyiv Indepedent citing the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said that Russian forces have restricted access to external communication, blocked access to mobile networks and internet at Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant since March 6. It further added that all operations of the plant’s staff require approval by the Russian commander present at the station.
Allegations and counter-allegations were exchanged last week when an area outside the perimeter of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant was on fire due to Russian shelling. The Russian defence ministry said that the attack was orchestrated by Ukrainian saboteurs who aimed to use the incident as a ‘dangerous provocation’. The Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of threatening the security of Europe when the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant caught fire. Local officials present at the plant, however, clarified that essential equipment were not damaged due to hostilities and the fire was contained.
Russian and Ukrainian delegations are expected to meet on Monday for the third round of discussions in an attempt to bring peace in the country. Russian president Vladimir Putin said that he will attempt to achieve his objectives in Ukraine either ‘through war or through negotiations’ raising concerns that the hostilities may not cease anytime soon.
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