Russia blames Ukrainians for attack on nuclear plant area: ‘Monstrous provocation’

Russia’s Defense Ministry on Friday blamed Ukrainian saboteurs for an attack on Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, calling it a “monstrous provocation”.

Ukraine said Russian forces attacked the plant in the early hours of Friday, setting fire to an adjacent five-story training facility in an incident that drew international condemnation from Moscow nine days after its invasion of Ukraine.

Reuters could not independently verify either the Russian or the Ukrainian account of the incident.

A Russian Defense Ministry spokesperson said the nuclear plant was operating normally and that the area had been under Russian control since February 28.

“However, last night, in the territory adjacent to the plant, an attempt was made by the Kiev nationalist regime to carry out a monstrous provocation,” said spokesman Igor Konashenkov.

“On March 4, at around 2 am, during a patrol of guards in the territory adjacent to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, a mobile patrol of the National Guard was attacked by a Ukrainian sabotage group,” he said.

“To set a fire in the building, fire was opened with a heavy attack with small arms against soldiers of the Russian National Guard from the multi-storey windows of a training complex located outside the power plant.”

He said the Russian patrol returned fire to suppress the attack, and the “sabotage group” abandoned the training complex, setting it on fire as they left.

The account was diametrically opposed to the Ukrainian version of events.

Previously, video from the factory verified by Reuters showed a building on fire, and a volley of projectiles pouring in, before a large glowing ball lit up the sky, exploding next to a parking lot and sending smoke throughout the complex.

Photos – See images of the Russian invasion of Ukraine