An official at the occupied Zaporizhia plant, Europe’s largest nuclear plant with six reactors, had initially said it was unaffected by the military actions
A Russian official said Ukrainian attack drones again struck Enerhodar, a town near the Russian-held Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, after drones struck two of the town’s power substations earlier in the week.
Eduard Senovoz, the top official at Enerhodar, told Telegram that two drones exploded on Saturday in a residential area and one resident was injured. Another drone was shot down.
In attacks on Wednesday and Friday in Enerhodar, he said earlier that one of the city’s substations was destroyed, while the other was damaged. Power went out for most residents.
An official at the occupied Zaporizhia plant, Europe’s largest nuclear plant with six reactors, had initially said it was unaffected by the military actions.
But the station’s Russian command said on Telegram on Saturday, before the latest drone attacks, that some “infrastructure” including the transport department and the printing office had suffered disruptions following the attacks earlier in the week.
Nuclear safeguards remained fully operational, it said.
Ukrainian officials did not comment on the incidents and Reuters could not confirm the reports.
The representative of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharovasaid the attacks exposed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s disregard for nuclear security.
“Due to the Zelensky regime’s complete inability to negotiate anything, our country will take all necessary measures to deprive the Kiev regime of all means to carry out such attacks,” Zakharova said on the ministry’s website.
Russian troops seized the Zaporizhia station in the early days of the February 2022 invasion, and Moscow and Kiev have since routinely accused each other of compromising security around it. It is not generating electricity at this time.
Russian news agencies reported that Yevgeny Yashin, director of communications at the Zaporizhia station, said the damaged substation at Enerhodar could be repaired.
Russia launched massive attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in the first winter of the conflict and resumed a long series of attacks in March.
Kiev says the renewed attacks have knocked out half of Ukraine’s energy production capacity and caused blackouts.
Russian missiles and drones damaged energy facilities in southeastern and western Ukraine on Saturday, injuring at least two workers and forcing record electricity imports, officials said.
Ukraine has stepped up its use of drones this year to attack Russian oil facilities.
Source :Skai
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