Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of bombing the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) in recent 24 hours, as concerns grow over the safety of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant.
The site, in southern Ukraine, was seized by Russian troops shortly after it began its invasion in February.
On Saturday, the Russian Defense Ministry said that four Ukrainian shells hit a building housing nuclear fuel.
Speaking to the Russian state news agency TASS, Lieutenant General Igor Konashenkov, a spokesman for the ministry, said that Ukraine had fired on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant three times in the last day .
Said: “A total of 17 projectiles were fired, four of which hit the roof of Special Building No. 1, where 168 Westinghouse US nuclear fueled assemblies are stored.”
“Other 10 projectiles exploded at 30 meters from the dry storage of spent nuclear fuel, three exploded in the area of special building No. 2, which houses a fuel storage unit new nuclear company [Russian nuclear fuel ] TVEL and a storage facility for solid radioactive waste”, he added.
Konashenkov claimed that Russian forces returned fire and destroyed “an American howitzer M777” in the Ukrainian service.
Separately, Energoatom, the Ukrainian state company that manages the nuclear power plant of Zaporizhzhia, said the site had been hit by Russian bombardment.
The company said: “During the last day, the Russian army has repeatedly shelled the ZNPP site, the damage is currently being investigated.”
“Ukrainian ZNPP personnel continue to work and do everything possible to ensure the nuclear and radiological safety, as well as to eliminate the consequences of the damage”, he added.
“Ukraine calls on the world community to take immediate measures to force Russia to release the ZNPP and transfer the power plant to the control of our country for the sake of the security of the whole world.”
Earlier this week, Energoatom said that the ZNPP was completely cut off from the main power grid and was forced to rely on generators to keep the site running.
It is feared that a total loss of power could lead to a nuclear meltdown similar to the Chernobyl disaster of 1986.
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