The Kremlin has accused Ukrainian forces of firing heavy shots on Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in occupied Ukraine while also warning that the alleged attacks could have ‘catastrophic consequences’, hence should be avoided.
Kyiv pointed out on Monday that Moscow was responsible and called for the area to be demilitarised, claiming that two employees had been wounded in recent attacks in the area.
Africa Today News, New York meanwhile gathered that fighting had continued along battle lines stretching across eastern Ukraine, and Russia continued its crackdown on dissent at home.
Both parties has constantly blamed the other for the escalation in fighting around the nuclear facility in Zaporizhzhia in southeastern Ukraine, which was captured by Russian forces soon after their late February invasion.
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The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN’s nuclear watchdog, has issued a warning regarding “the very real possibility of a nuclear accident” in light of recent fighting at the plant.
Ukraine demanded the removal of Russian military from the plant and the creation of an international security and energy team to monitor the facility.
According to Petro Kotin, head of Ukraine’s nuclear energy business Energoatom, “what needs to be done is to remove occupying forces from the station and to create a de-militarized zone on the site of the station.”
“There should be a peacekeeping mission including experts from the IAEA and other security organisations,” he added.
“Their presence and initially giving control to them and then to the Ukrainian side would have solved this problem”.
Kotin said Russia had deployed some 500 Russian troops and 50 pieces of hardware including tanks at Zaporizhzhia, echoing earlier claims from Kyiv that Moscow was using the site for military cover.
Ukraine’s Prime Minister Denys Shmygal meanwhile accused Russia of “nuclear terrorism,” urging the world to “unite now to prevent a catastrophe”.
The Kremlin has captured swathes of Ukrainian territory since February, introducing Russian currency and announcing plans to formally annex the areas by holding votes, including in the Zaporizhzhia region.