Zelenskyy believes Russia is planning 'a local explosion' at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant: report

Editor's note: The name of the Dnieper River has been corrected.

The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant situated along the Dnieper River on the outskirts of Enerhodar, Ukraine became a nexus of global attention when Russian President Vladimir Putin's forces took control of the facility in March of 2022, less than a month after Putin invaded his democratic neighbor.

Despite numerous warnings of potential disaster from United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi, shelling has continued at and around Europe's largest fissile energy station.

On Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed at a press conference with Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez that Russia "could be ready to provoke a localized explosion" at Zaporizhzhia, according to The Guardian's latest reporting.

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Zelenskyy "cited Ukrainian intelligence as the source of his information and called for greater international attention to the situation at the facility, the largest nuclear plant in Europe," the British outlet explained.

"There is a serious threat because Russia is technically ready to provoke a local explosion at the station, which could lead to a (radiation) release," Zelenskyy said following disaster drills that were conducted on Thursday.

Per The Guardian, "Ukraine's military intelligence directorate (GUR) claimed that Russian troops are reducing their presence at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, with staff told to relocate to Crimea and military patrols scaled back." The paper also learned from the GUR that "several representatives of Russia's state nuclear energy agency, Rosatom, have already left" and that "Ukrainian employees who stayed at the plant and signed contracts with Rosatom had been told to evacuate by Monday, preferably to Crimea."

Meanwhile, The Guardian noted that Russia's United Nations Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia has denied Ukraine's allegations, stating that "we do not intend to blow up this NPP (nuclear power plant), we have no intention of doing so."

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The Guardian's full report continues at this link.