Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had spoken with French President Emmanuel Macron about Russia's "dangerous provocations" in the area of the power plant in southeastern Ukraine.
Russian soldiers occupied Europe's largest nuclear power plant with six nuclear reactors in the early days of the Kremlin's special military operation.
Both sides have since repeatedly accused the other of shelling the power plant, leading to a possible nuclear accident.
Renat Karchaa, an adviser to Rosenergoatom, the company that operates Russia's nuclear power grid, said the Ukrainian government intends to fire shells containing nuclear waste from five other nuclear power plants in the country at the Zaporizhzhia power plant.
“On the night of July 5, the Ukrainian military will attack the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant with long-range weapons and suicide drone attacks,” Renat Karchaa was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies on state television. He did not provide evidence to support the allegations.
According to a post on his Twitter, in a call with French President Emmanuel Macron, Mr. Zelensky said “soldiers of the occupying forces are preparing to carry out dangerous provocations at the (nuclear power plant) Zaporizhzhia.”
The Ukrainian Armed Forces also issued a statement, citing “operational data” indicating that “explosive devices” had been placed on the roofs of reactors 3 and 4 of the power plant on Tuesday. The statement also said that an attack could be launched “in the near future.”
According to the statement posted on Telegram, “when detonated, these devices will not only damage the reactors but will also appear from the outside as if the Ukrainian side is shelling the power plant.” The statement also said that the Ukrainian military “is ready to respond to any situation.”
Mr Zelensky and the Ukrainian military have also not provided evidence to support their claims.
Currently the reactors at this power plant are not operating.
In his evening video , Mr. Zelensky said the Russian government was planning to “simulate an attack on this power plant.”
“In any case, the world needs to realize that the only source of danger to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is Russia and no one else.”
IAEA calls for disarmament at power plant
The IAEA, the United Nations' nuclear watchdog, has been trying for more than a year to hammer out a deal to ensure the nuclear plant site is decommissioned and the risk of a nuclear accident is reduced.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi has visited the plant three times since the Russian occupation but has failed to reach agreements to protect the facility from shelling.
Mr. Zelensky's adviser, Mr. Mykhailo Podolyak, told Ukrainian television that Mr. Grossi had failed in his efforts to ensure safety at the power plant.
Accusing the IAEA of being too slow in taking action, he said: “Any disaster in Zaporizhzhia could have been avoided if (Mr. Grossi) had made his position clear immediately.”
“That should have been done instead of making a fool of himself like he did. And when the disaster happened, he would have just said he had nothing to do with it and had warned about the dangers.”
Nguyen Quang Minh (according to Reuters)
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