Kyiv denies Russian claims that a Ukrainian drone struck Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant
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A Russian soldier standing guard at the occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine in 2023.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- Rosatom reported a Ukrainian drone struck Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant's turbine hall, causing a wall hole but no primary equipment damage.
- Ukraine's military denied the drone strike claim, calling it "propaganda" and stating no weapons were used near the plant.
- The Russian-captured Zaporizhzhia plant near the frontline often faces fire, heightening fears of a nuclear accident.
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MOSCOW - Russia’s state nuclear energy company Rosatom said on May 30 that a Ukrainian drone had struck the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant - Europe’s largest - causing no damage to key equipment.
Ukraine’s military denied the accusation, calling it a “propaganda ploy”.
Rosatom head Alexei Likhachev called the incident “deliberate” and said it left a hole in the wall of a turbine hall.
“This afternoon, a Ukrainian kamikaze combat drone struck the turbine hall building of Power Unit No. 6, resulting in a subsequent detonation,” Mr Likhachev said in a statement.
“The explosion caused no damage to the primary equipment; however, it tore a hole in the turbine hall wall.”
Ukraine’s military denied the Russian claims as “yet another propaganda ploy”.
“Ukrainian servicemen act strictly within the international humanitarian law and are fully aware of the consequences of any actions targeting nuclear facilities,” the Ukrainian military said in a statement. “At the relevant section of the front line, there was no active fighting during the incident, and no weapons were used.”
The Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant was captured by Russia in March 2022 and remains close to the front line in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region of Ukraine.
The plant has occasionally come under fire during the four-year-long war, raising fears of a nuclear accident at the facility. REUTERS
