“In the towns of Kherson and Energodar, precise attacks by our troops destroyed three enemy artillery systems, as well as an ammunition depot,” killing many Russian soldiers, the Ukrainian army said in a statement.
The pro-Kiev mayor of Energodar, Dmytro Orlov, who is currently in exile, told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that he had no information so far, pointing to serious problems with the mobile network in that city during the day.
The Ukrainian military also claimed that Russian forces had “removed all their military equipment from the factory site” before the arrival of the IAEA mission, noting that several military personnel remained in the facility.
The Zaporijia plant, the largest in Europe, fell to Russian troops in March, shortly after Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine.
Kiev and Moscow have exchanged accusations about responsibility for the attacks.
On Thursday morning, before the arrival of the IAEA mission, Ukrainian authorities accused the Russians of bombing Energodar with the intention of blaming Kiev.
At the same time, the Russian army accused the Ukrainians of sending a team of “saboteurs” to recapture the nuclear power plant.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said on Thursday after visiting the site that “it is clear that the central and physical integrity of the facilities have been violated several times, either casually or intentionally”.
The mission chief, who visited “three or four key areas he wanted to personally inspect” — such as nuclear power plants, diesel generators and control rooms — and who said he had spoken with workers and residents of Energodar, reiterated that the “IAEA is at the center and exiting not the place”.
The IAEA experts will “stay (on site) until Sunday or Monday” to deepen the inspection and prepare a report, Grossi said, who will later present the document to the management of the UN agency in Vienna.
The nuclear power plant’s second operational reactor, which was shut down on Thursday due to an attack, was back in service today and connected to the power grid, the Ukrainian state nuclear power company (Energoatom) reported.
Currently, two of a total of six reactors, numbers 5 and 6, are in operation that produce electricity for Ukraine’s needs, according to Energoatom, which ensures that equipment and safety systems operate normally.
Reactor number 5 was disconnected when emergency protection was activated due to an attack Ukraine attributed to the Russian military.
Ten days ago, the two reactors still in operation had to be disconnected and the plant suffered the first blackout in its history.
Source: El heraldo
John Cameron is a journalist at The Nation View specializing in world news and current events, particularly in international politics and diplomacy. With expertise in international relations, he covers a range of topics including conflicts, politics and economic trends.
