Russia accused kyiv on Thursday to continue bombing the territory of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plantin southern Ukraine and occupied since the beginning of March by Russian forces, in addition to the city of Energodar, where the plant is located, the largest in Europe.
“Ukrainian troops continue to bombard the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant and the city of Energodar,” military spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in his daily war report.
And he maintained that during the last day the Ukrainian artillery hit “seven times with large caliber weapons” the area of the nuclear power plant.
The shelling was carried out from the firing positions of the Ukrainian troops in the areas from Nikopol, Marganets, Vyshetarasivka and Chervonogrigorovkalocated on the right bank of the Dnieper River, opposite the nuclear power plant.
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“The artillery of the Russian Armed Forces suppressed the power of the enemy attack by responding with fire,” Konashenkov said.
Russia and Ukraine they have been accusing each other for weeks to bomb the territory of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plantunder control of Russian forces since March 4.
The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyaccused Russia the day before before the UN Security Council of “put the world on the brink of a radioactive catastrophe” having turned the plant “into a combat zone”.
According to Zelensky, Russia is conducting a “provocation”with bombings and the sending of “terrorists” to the area, thereby threatening the whole of Europe and other neighboring regions.
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France and the UN atomic agency negotiate with Russia an inspection of the plant, a measure that kyiv supports and that Paris assures has the support Russian President Vladimir Putin according to the French leader, Emmanuel Macron.
Zelenski also supports a mission of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and calls for this UN agency to assume “permanent control” of the facility.
This Thursday the Russian Defense Minister, Sergei Shoigú, assured his French counterpart, Sébastien Lecornu, that Russia will provide the necessary assistance to IAEA inspectors.
He warned Paris that “the actions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine could disrupt the safe operation of the plant”.
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Two days ago, the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, also discussed the conditions of a possible IAEA mission with his French counterpart, Catherine Colonna.
Also, on Wednesday the head of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi, met in Istanbul (Turkey) with a Russian delegation headed by the head of the Russian state nuclear power company, Rosatom, Alexei Lykhachevto discuss the possible inspection of the plant.
The Argentine also met this Thursday with Macron to address the “imminent visit” from the IAEA to the Zaporizhia nuclear plant.
