Ukraine, Russia trade blame over nuclear plant shelling

The U.N. atomic watchdog that has a team of experts at the plant said “powerful explosions” had occurred on Saturday and Sunday

Kyiv and Moscow on November 20 traded accusations of shelling on the territory of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant that Russia controls in southern Ukraine.

The U.N. atomic watchdog that has a team of experts at the plant—the biggest nuclear facility in Europe—said “powerful explosions” had occurred on Saturday and Sunday.

Kyiv “does not stop its provocations aiming at creating the threat of a man-made catastrophe at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant”, the Russian army said in a statement on Sunday.

Despite the shelling, radiation levels “remain normal”, the army added.

It said missiles exploded around a power line that feeds the plant, the fourth and fifth power units and “special building number 2”.

Renat Karchaa, an advisor to the Russian nuclear agency Rosatom, told state-run agency TASS that the “special building” contained nuclear fuel.

Ukrainian nuclear energy agency Energoatom said shortly after that Russia was behind the explosions.