Moscow, Kyiv Accuse Each Other Over Shelling Near The Biggest Nuclear Power Plant In Ukraine

Ukraine has called for a demilitarised zone around the plant and for the withdrawal of Russian forces.

New Delhi: Kyiv and Moscow accused each other on Saturday of the repeated missile strikes that occurred last week, towards the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in southeastern Ukraine, according to an AFP report. The Zaporizhzhia plant is situated near the town of Enerhodar on the banks of the Dnieper River. It is one of the 10 biggest nuclear plants in the world and the biggest in Europe.

The plant has been under Russia’s control since March and Ukraine has blamed Moscow for basing hundreds of soldiers there. 

"Limit your presence on the streets of Energodar! We have received information about new provocations by the (Russian) occupiers," Ukraine's nuclear agency Energoatom said as it shared a message on Telegram from a local chief in Energodar city, where the plant is located, AFP reported.

"According to residents, there is new shelling in the direction of the nuclear plant... the time between the start and arrival of the shelling is 3-5 seconds," the message said, according to news agency AFP. 

However, pro-Moscow which occupied the areas in the Zaporizhzhia region blamed Ukrainian forces for the shelling.

Vladimir Rogov, a member of the Moscow-installed administration was reported by AFP as saying that the town of Enerhodar and the plant came under fire "by Zelensky's militants". He said that there was shelling near the areas around the Dnieper river and in the plant, however, there were no casualties or damage. 

Areas occupied by Russia and those under Ukraine's control are divided by the Dnieper river, AFP reported.

Several rounds of accusations have been exchanged by Moscow and Kyiv, over the shelling of the plant this month which is raising concerns over a nuclear disaster. 

Ukraine has called for a demilitarised zone around the plant and for the withdrawal of Russian forces.

Ukraine said that the first strike on August 5 led to damage to a power cable and forced one of the reactors to stop working. Another strike on Thursday, damaged the pumping station and radiation sensors. This led to an emergency UN security council meeting on Thursday, during which India expressed its concern and called for mutual restraint to ensure that the safety and security of nuclear facilities are not endangered, PTI reported.

The Zaporizhzhia plant was built during the Soviet era and has six reactors with a total capacity of 5,700 megawatts. Three of the reactors are in operation. Prior to the Russian invasion, the plant accounted for about half of the electricity generated by nuclear power in Ukraine, as per an AP report.