Ukrainian forces attempted to seize the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in an attack on the facility on Friday night, Russia’s Defense Ministry said in its daily briefing.
It said a Ukrainian naval force of more than 250 soldiers attempted to land on the shore of a lake near the Zaporizhia plant in southern Ukraine around 11 p.m. local time on Friday, as reported by Reuters.
“Despite the presence of representatives of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, the Kiev regime once again attempted to seize the plant,” the Defense Ministry said.
Russia said its forces repelled the attack with strikes from military helicopters and fighter jets, destroying 20 Ukrainian vessels and forcing others to disperse and call off the attack. Reuters was unable to verify the report.
Kyiv and Moscow have traded accusations of attacks on the plant, Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, in recent months.
The station was seized by Russian forces in March, but is connected to the Ukrainian electricity grid and is still operated by Ukrainian personnel.
The IAEA sent a mission to the nuclear plant this week amid concerns that an escalation could trigger a Chernobyl-style nuclear disaster on the European continent.
Both Russia and Ukraine have said the situation is serious and the risk of a nuclear catastrophe is high. Ukraine and the West have said Russia is using the site as a base for heavy weapons in a move to discourage Ukraine from firing on it.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu denied on Friday that Russia has heavy weapons at or near the plant and accused Ukraine of committing “nuclear terrorism” through its attacks on the facility.
A spokesman for the Russian-installed regime in occupied Zaporizhia said the situation at the factory was calm on Saturday morning.
Source: Capital
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