Published on : 14/08/2022 – 07:01
kyiv and Moscow accused each other again on Saturday of firing on the Zaporijjia nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe, occupied by Russia and targeted several times for a week. Follow the latest developments live on France 24.
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2:43 a.m .: kyiv and Moscow again accuse each other of firing on the Ukrainian nuclear power plant in Zaporizhia
Kyiv and Moscow again exchanged shooting charges on Saturday Zaporizhia nuclear power plantthe largest in Europe, occupied by Russia and targeted several times over the past week.
“Limit your presence on the streets of Energodar! We have received information about new provocations from the Russian occupiers,” Ukrainian nuclear agency Energoatom said on Telegram, reposting the message from a local Energodar leader – city in which the plant is located – remained loyal to kyiv.
“According to the testimonies of the inhabitants, shelling is again in progress in the direction of the nuclear power plant in Zaporizhia (…) The interval between the departure and the arrival of the shots is 3-5 seconds”, adds the message .
At the end of the day, Ukrainian military intelligence confirmed that “the (Russian) occupiers are bombing the nuclear power plant (…) from the village of Vodiané, located in the immediate vicinity, on the right bank of the Dnieper”, the river which separates areas in Russian hands from those controlled by the Ukrainian authorities.
One of the strikes damaged a pumping unit and another “resulted in the partial destruction of the fire department responsible for the safety of the nuclear power plant”, according to a military intelligence statement which also accuses the Russian forces of “preparing provocations under the Ukrainian flag”.
For their part, the occupation authorities installed by Russia in the areas it has conquered in the Zaporizhia region have unsurprisingly accused the Ukrainian forces of being behind the firing. “Energodar and the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant are again under fire from militants (of Ukrainian President Volodymyr) Zelensky,” a member of the pro-Russian military and civil administration, Vladimir Rogov, said on Telegram.
The projectiles fell “in areas located on the banks of the Dnieper and in the power plant”, he said, without reporting any casualties or damage.
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10:30 p.m .: Ukrainian president denounces “Russian blackmail” around the Zapporijjia nuclear site
In his daily address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denounced “Russian blackmail” around the nuclear site.
“The occupiers are trying to intimidate people in an extremely cynical way by using the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant,” he said, claiming that Russian forces are “hiding” behind the plant to bomb the Ukrainian-held towns of Nikopol and Margarets.
In addition, Volodymyr Zelensky added that those responsible for the “blackmail” should “be judged before an international court”.
With AFP