KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine and Russia accused one another Wednesday of planning to assault one of many world’s largest nuclear energy vegetation, which is situated in southeastern Ukraine and occupied by Russian troops, however neither facet supplied proof to assist their claims.

Citing intelligence stories, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated Russian troops had positioned “objects resembling explosives on the roof of several power units” of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. The objects could possibly be used to “simulate” an assault, he stated, which means a false flag assault.

A press release from the General Staff of Ukraine’s armed forces stated the “foreign objects” had been positioned on the outer roof of the plant’s third and fourth energy items.

“Their detonation should not damage power units but may create a picture of shelling from Ukraine,” the assertion stated.

In Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov raised the specter of a probably “catastrophic” provocation by the Ukrainian military on the nuclear plant, which is Europe’s largest however has its six reactors shut down.

“The situation is quite tense. There is a great threat of sabotage by the Kyiv regime, which can be catastrophic in its consequences,” Peskov stated in response to a reporter’s query. He additionally claimed that Kremlin is taking “all measures” to counter the alleged Ukrainian menace.

His feedback got here after Renat Karchaa, an advisor to Russian state nuclear firm Rosenergoatom, stated there was “no basis” for Zelenskyy’s claims of a plot to simulate an explosion. The Ukrainian chief made the allegation in his nightly video tackle to on Tuesday.

“Why would we need explosives there? This is nonsense, (aimed at) maintaining tension around the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant,” Karchaa stated.

Russian media on Tuesday cited Karchaa as saying that Ukraine’s army deliberate to strike the plant with ammunition laced with nuclear waste early Wednesday. As of Wednesday afternoon, there was no indication of such an assault.

Ukraine has warned for months of Russian plans to trigger a deliberate launch of radiation from the plant, citing inner intelligence stories. Ukrainian officers have alleged that Moscow may attempt to sabotage the plant in an try to derail Kyiv’s ongoing counteroffensive within the surrounding Zaporizhzhia area.

Russia occupied the plant within the early phases of the warfare. Over the previous yr, Russia and Ukraine repeatedly accused one another of shelling the power.

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