The two countries accuse each other of risking a nuclear catastrophe while the International Atomic Energy Agency is struggling to verify their statements.
Of the “explosive devices” on the one hand. Of the “long range precision weapons” the other. Russia and Ukraine mutually accused each other on Tuesday, July 4, of planning an attack against the Zaporijjia nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe. The site, in the hands of Russian forces since March 2022, is one of the strategic locations of the war in Ukraine. Since the start of the conflict, both Moscow and kyiv have regularly criticized each other for bombing the area around the power plant, at the risk of triggering a nuclear disaster.
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The tension escalated a notch in mid-June when Ukraine claimed that Russia was preparing an assault on the plant and had deployed its forces there. The plan, to undermine the cooling pond to cause a nuclear accident, “has been established and approved”guaranteed the director of Ukrainian military intelligence in an interview with the British magazine News Statesman. Moscow, for its part, denounced a “lie”. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) replied that it had “at this stage found no indication of mines or other explosives” on the spot, notes Sky News.
kyiv suspects Moscow of having trapped the roof of reactors
Volodymyr Zelensky, however, brandished this threat once again on Tuesday, July 4. In a telephone conversation with Emmanuel Macron, the Ukrainian President said that the Russians “prepared dangerous provocations” in Zaporizhia. In a message posted a few hours earlier on Telegram, the Ukrainian army claimed that “objects similar to explosive devices [avaient] been placed on the outer roof of the 3 and 4″ reactors. According to Kyiv, “their detonation should not damage the generators”. For the Ukrainian army, Moscow seeks to “give the impression of bombardment” and to “disinformation” in order to discredit his opponent.
“Perhaps it is to simulate an attack on the plant. Or maybe they have another scenario in mind. Anyway, (…) the only source of danger for the plant Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant is Russia.”
Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukrainein his daily address
“Russia has deployed military personnel, installed fortifications on at least three reactors and placed explosives on the plant”said the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Twitter. And to add: “It is high time for the world to take immediate action.”
Here again, the International Atomic Energy Agency does not confirm but does not invalidate these Ukrainian statements either, the UN agency not having been able to access the roofs of the premises housing reactors 3 and 4 or even some plant cooling system areas.
kyiv also assured that the Russian authorities had asked civilian and military personnel to evacuate the site before Wednesday, reports Politico. According to the Ukrainian intelligence services, the remaining teams “were instructed to accuse [Kiev] in the event of an incident”.
Russia accuses Ukraine of plotting night attack
This date was also mentioned by the Russian camp. Moscow has denied preparing any attack. Quite the contrary. “THE July 5, during the night, in complete darkness, the Ukrainian army will try to attack the nuclear power plant in Zaporizhia”, an adviser to Russian nuclear operator Rosatom said in a television interview on Tuesday. According to Renat Karchaa, the Ukrainian forces intend to “use of long-range precision weapons” and drones.
“The situation is very tense, because the risk of a subversive act by the kyiv regime is very high. A subversive act that can have catastrophic consequences.”
Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesmanquoted by AFP
“We must take all measures to combat this threat”added the Kremlin spokesman.
A few days earlier, the spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry had already said that kyiv intended to carry out an attack against the power plant and attribute responsibility to Moscow. To support her remarks, the official cited the security exercises organized by the Ukrainian authorities in the east of the country, aimed at preparing the population for a possible nuclear accident, underlines Politico. Neither Russia nor Ukraine, however, have provided evidence to support their accusations, recalls the Guardian.
The IAEA demanded on Wednesday to have access to all the buildings of the plant to “confirm the absence of mines or explosives on the site”. “Our experts must be able to verify the facts on the ground”so “independent and objective”, said the director general of the UN agency, Rafael Grossi, in a press release. He is “crucial to clarify the current situation” at a time when both sides accuse each other, he insisted. For the time being, the military presence on the site “seems unchanged”however, adds the IAEA, which has also not recently observed any bombings near the plant.