Moscow and Kyiv officials are pointing fingers at each other over a supposedly imminent "provocation" at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station in southeastern Ukraine.
A Tuesday statement by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on Telegram accused Russia of placing explosives in three of the six power units. The military also claims "new devices" have been observed on top of the cooling unit.
"If detonated, they would not damage the reactors but would create an image of shelling from the Ukrainian side," the statement read, adding that Ukraine stands "ready to act under any circumstances."
Meanwhile, an adviser to the head of Russia's state-owned nuclear plant operator claimed on national television that Ukraine planned to shell the plant, Reuters reported Tuesday.
"Under cover of darkness overnight on 5th July, the Ukrainian military will try to attack the Zaporizhzhia station using long-range precision equipment and kamikaze attack drones," Renat Karchaa stated.
No evidence was provided by either party for their assertions.
The news comes as fears over the Zaporizhzhia plant grow, with Russian and Ukrainian troops continuing to trade fire in its vicinity for months, according to The Washington Post.
"The threat of a terrorist attack is high," an anonymous Ukrainian employee at the plant recently told the paper.
The United Nations' International Atomic Energy Agency has taken a particular interest in the plant's safety, issuing a press release Tuesday revealing that it had lost the connection to its main external power line.
"This time the plant avoided a complete loss of all external power — which has happened seven times previously during the conflict — but the latest power line cut again demonstrates the precarious nuclear safety and security situation at the plant," IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said.
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