Ukraine and Russia exchanged new accusations of shelling at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant on Saturday, as its operator warned of the risk of a radioactive leak.
The Zaporizhzhia plant in southern Ukraine has been occupied by Russian troops since March, reports BSS.
Kyiv and Moscow have repeatedly accused each other of rocket attacks in the vicinity of the plant, which is Europe's largest, located in the city of Energodar.
On Saturday plant’s Ukraine operator Energoatom said Russian troops had "repeatedly shelled" over the past day. "As a result of periodic shelling, the infrastructure of the station has been damaged, there are risks of hydrogen leakage and sputtering of radioactive substances, and the fire hazard is high," Energoatom said.
The agency said that as of midday Saturday the plant "operates with the risk of violating radiation and fire safety standards". Russia's defense ministry said Ukrainian forces had "shelled the territory of the station three times" from the town of Marganets across the Dnipro River.
The ministry accused Kyiv of "nuclear terrorism" and said shells had landed near areas storing fresh nuclear fuel and radioactive waste. Radiation levels at the plant "remain normal" said the ministry statement.
Bd-pratidin/Ishrar Tabassum/Tanvir Raihan
