Russia and Ukraine accused each other on Sunday of having bombed the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, located in southern Ukraine and militarily occupied by the Russian army.
“The kyiv regime continues to provocation to create the threat of a disaster at the nuclear power plant in Zaporizhia”, the largest in Europe, said the Russian Ministry of Defense in a statement.
On Saturday and Sunday, Ukrainian forces fired more than 20 “large caliber shells” at the plant, the statement said.
These notably exploded between energy blocks number 4 and 5 and targeted the roof of a “special building” located near these blocks, according to the same source.
This “special building” notably houses a nuclear fuel depot, said an official of the Russian nuclear electricity producer, Rosenergoatom, Renat Kartchaa, quoted by the official TASS agency.
Despite these bombardments, “the level of radiation in the area of the plant remains within the norm”, underlines the press release.
For its part, the Ukrainian nuclear agency accused Russia of having bombed the site of the plant.
“This morning of November 20, 2022, following heavy Russian bombing, at least 12 strikes were recorded at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant site,” Energoatom said, accusing the Russians of “once again organizing a nuclear blackmail and put the whole world in danger”.
The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, reported on Sunday of the “powerful explosions” that occurred in this sector.
“The information is extremely disturbing. Explosions have occurred at the site of this major nuclear power plant, which is totally unacceptable,” he said in a statement.
Russia, which has been leading an offensive in Ukraine since February 24, is militarily occupying the territory of the power plant and Russian President Vladimir Putin has claimed its annexation, as well as that of four Ukrainian regions.
For several months, Moscow and kyiv have accused each other of bombardments on the site, under Russian control but located not far from the front line.