Moscow and Kyiv accused each other on Tuesday of risking disaster by bombing the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine, pending a report on the status of the United Nations nuclear agency.
Operated by Ukrainian technicians, the facility was captured by Russian forces in early March, shortly after the invasion of Ukraine.
Russia and Ukraine have accused each other for weeks of endangering their own and Europe’s security by bombing the region and neighboring areas. But so far, no independent third party has been able to determine who did what damage to the plant.
It’s unclear whether that will change on Tuesday, when the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) released a report based on a fact-finding mission to the facility, which is expected to detail the damage.
IAEA President Rafael Grossi led the mission last week, and two IAEA officials remained on site to monitor the situation. Grossi is expected to brief the UN Security Council in New York about the findings later Tuesday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned on Monday of an imminent “radiation disaster” at the facility, saying the Russian bombing showed Moscow “doesn’t care what the IAEA has to say”.
Questioning why it would bomb its own forces, which it says are protecting the facility, Russia on Tuesday accused Ukrainian troops of bombing the facility, the largest in Europe, the day before.
Russia’s diplomatic mission at international organizations in Vienna, where the IAEA is based, told Telegram that three Ukrainian shells had landed near the facility and posted footage of the bullet effects to support its claim.
Reuters was unable to confirm the allegations on either side.
source: Noticias
