Russia's claims about alleged Ukrainian drone attacks against the occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant are manipulation and propaganda, Ukraine's nuclear energy agency Energoatom said on April 9.
The plant reportedly suffered at least three direct strikes on April 7, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
After the attacks, Russia claimed Ukrainian drones attacked the plant. Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) said Ukraine was not involved.
Energoatom said that Russia "upgraded its propaganda to another level," manipulating the IAEA's perspective and accusing Ukraine of security breaches at the plant.
"The Kremlin's false statements about alleged Ukrainian drone attacks are nothing else than an attempt to hide own intentions to commit a terrorist act or hide severe emergency events that have already happened at the plant," Energoatom's statement said.
Energoatom stressed that the only way to prevent nuclear and radiation emergencies is to comply with the IAEA's resolution, withdraw Russian troops and their equipment from the plant, demining nearby territories, and return control over the plant to the agency.
"The seizure of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is not only a blatant violation of international law but also an open act of nuclear terrorism," Energoatom said.
The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, the largest nuclear plant in Europe, has been under Russian occupation since March 2022. IAEA teams have been based at the facility on rotation since September 2022.
Olena Goncharova
(Updated: )
