(Photo : OLGA MALTSEVA/AFP via Getty Images)
After Moscow and Kyiv accused each other of "catastrophic" sabotage at Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, UN observers requested broader access to Europe's largest nuclear plant.
The UN has demanded an inspection of a power plant's rooftops in response to allegations that Russia may attack it.
In recent days, Kyiv has issued alarming warnings that Moscow is planning to "blow up" the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant to fraudulently accuse the Ukrainian military of bombarding the facility.
UN Urges Access to Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant
On Tuesday, President Volodymyr Zelensky alleged that intelligence indicated that Russian personnel had placed "objects approximating explosives" on top of several of the power units.
Per Daily Mail, the response from Vladimir Putin's spokesman was that there was a "huge threat of subversion by the Kyiv regime, with potentially catastrophic consequences."
While Ukrainians continue to work at the power plant, Kyiv has compared their situation to hostages because the Russian military has occupied the site since March.
They stated in yesterday's announcement that they had "requested additional access to validate the absence of mines or explosives at the site," including on "the rooftops of reactor units 3 and 4", turbine corridors, and "some portions of the cooling system."
Despite not having access to these crucial areas, the IAEA reported that the military presence at the site remained unchanged. Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi added, "With increasing military tension and activity in the region where this significant nuclear power facility is located, our experts must be able to confirm the facts on the ground."
Renat Karchaa, a consultant for the Russian state nuclear company Rosenergoatom, which has seized control of the facility, stated that Zelensky's claims of a conspiracy to simulate an explosion were "without foundation."
The Ukrainian leader made the allegation in his Tuesday evening video address. In response, Karchaa asserted that the Ukrainian military intended to attack the facility with nuclear waste-laced ammunition.
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Ukraine, Russia Accuse Each Other of Plotting Attack on Zaporizhzhia Plant
Using internal intelligence reports, Ukraine has for months warned of Russian plans to discharge radiation from the nuclear power facility deliberately. Officials in Ukraine have asserted that Moscow may attempt to sabotage the facility to disrupt Kyiv's ongoing counteroffensive in the neighboring Zaporizhia region.
Experts from the UN nuclear watchdog at the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine have not yet observed any indications of mines or explosives. Still, they require additional access to be certain, the agency said Wednesday.
Russia and Ukraine accused one another of plotting an attack on Europe's largest nuclear power facility, where the International Atomic Energy Agency has repeatedly warned of the potential for a catastrophe from nearby military conflicts.
Both nations have been accused of shelling that has repeatedly knocked out power lines necessary for cooling the plant's six reactors and preventing a nuclear meltdown..
According to "operational data" cited in a statement released by the Ukrainian armed forces on Tuesday, "explosive devices" were installed on the roofs of these two reactor units.
Reuters said it was unclear from the IAEA's statement why the organization required access to the rooftops of these two reactor units. The IAEA acknowledged reports that mines and other explosives have been installed within and around the facility.
Zelensky has asserted that Russia is planning an attack on Europe's largest nuclear power facility. In the meantime, Russia has accused Ukraine of planning an attack on the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Facility in Enerhodar, southern Ukraine, within the next two days.
It was a tense night throughout Ukraine as accusations flew back and forth, particularly in the towns and cities near the Zaporizhzhia facility, including the nearby city of Zaporizhzhia, which Russia never managed to capture.
Russia, meanwhile, accused Ukraine of planning to attack the plant with radioactive refuse from other nuclear facilities loaded onto missiles or drones. Neither side has supported its claims with evidence.
In early June, Ukraine accused Russia of destroying a key dam upstream of the Zaporizhia facility, thereby lowering water levels in a reservoir used to provide chilling water to the Zaporizhia facility, CBS News reported.
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