According to the ministry, a Ukrainian naval unit of more than 250 people attempted to land on the shore of a lake near the Zaporizhzhya Power Plant in southern Ukraine at around 11:00 p.m. local time on Friday.
Despite the visit of representatives of the International Atomic Energy Agency to the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, the Kyiv regime made another attempt to seize the power plant.
– The Ministry of Defense announced.
Russia said its forces thwarted the attack, destroying 20 Ukrainian ships, forcing other formations to disperse and torpedoing the attack.
An independent news source has yet to verify the authenticity of the report.
Russian forces took control of the plant in March, but it is connected to the Ukrainian power grid and is still operated by Ukrainian employees. The International Atomic Energy Agency sent a commission of inquiry to the plant this week amid fears that the escalation could lead to a Chernobyl-style nuclear disaster.
Both Russia and Ukraine stated that the situation is serious and that there is a high risk of nuclear catastrophe. According to Ukraine and many Western countries, Russia uses the settlement as a base for heavy weapons to deter Ukraine from attack. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu denies this is the case and accuses Ukraine of “nuclear terrorism”.
The local representative of the Russians in occupied Zaporizhia said that the situation in and around the power plant was calm on Saturday morning.
(Reuters)
Cover image source: Getty Images
