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Ukrainian intelligence services announced that they had received confirmation of the preparation of a “large-scale” Russian attack this Friday against the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant.
“We have received further confirmation [dos serviços de informações] on the preparation of the occupants [russos] of one provocation at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant on August 19“, he said, in a statement quoted by the Unian agency, the Main Directorate of Information (DPI) of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
Taking into account the amount of weapons that are now in the facilities of the nuclear power plant, as well as the repeated bombing [russos] done as a provocation, there is a high probability of a large-scale terrorist attack on the nuclear facility,” the DPI warned.
Russian forces control the Zaporizhia plant, the largest of its kind in Europe, but both sides are accusing each other of attacks that could lead to a nuclear disaster.
Ukraine has four nuclear power plants in operation, with a total of 15 reactors, six of which are in Zaporizhia.
DPI detailed that “in particular, authorized personnel [que desempenha funções com base numa licença emitida pela Inspeção Nuclear do Estado] received instructions to stay home” and that “a small part of the operational staff” will be able to access the central area.
The same source also mentioned that at the Thursday afternoon meeting of the administration of the Zaporizhia NPP there were no representatives of the Russian state nuclear company Rosatomwho since the occupation has participated in all these meetings.
Rosatom representatives have even “completely abandoned the plant premises”.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday after a meeting with UN Secretary-General António Guterres that he wanted the United Nations to ensure the demilitarization of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant.
In the meeting with Guterres, held in the Ukrainian city of Lviv, Zelensky accused Russia of blackmailing the security of the Zaporizhia NPP (south-eastern Ukraine), according to the Telegram social network.
Zelensky said the climate of “deliberate terror on the part of the aggressor could have catastrophic consequences on a global level” in the event of a nuclear accident at the plant.
“The UN must guarantee the security of this strategic asset [central nuclear de Zaporijia]its demilitarization and complete liberation of Russian troops”, he defended.
Russia has rejected proposals to demilitarize the area around the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, which it deemed unacceptable.
“The proposals to demilitarize an area around the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant are unacceptable,” Russian diplomatic spokesman Ivan Nechaev said on Thursday.
For Moscow, the implementation of such proposals “will make the plant much more vulnerable,” he added.
Source: Observadora
