UN seeks access to Ukrainian nuclear plant: Kyiv and Moscow say sabotage is being prepared

(Patria) - United Nations observers have called for greater access to Europe's largest nuclear power plant, after Moscow and Kyiv exchanged accusations of a possible "catastrophic" act of sabotage at the Russian-controlled facility in Ukraine, AFP reported.

Kyiv and Moscow accuse each other of planning "provocations" at the nuclear power plant
in Zaporizhzhia in southern Ukraine, raising alarms about the risk of a radioactive catastrophe.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has called for additional access to the plant to "confirm the absence of mines or explosives at the site".

"As military tensions and activities increase in the region where this
large nuclear power plant is located, our experts must be able to verify the facts on the ground," said IAEA chief Rafael Grossi.

"Independent and objective reporting by IAEA experts would help clarify the current situation... which is crucial at this moment with unconfirmed accusations and counter-accusations," he added.

In recent weeks, IAEA personnel on the ground have inspected various locations, but have so far not observed "any visible indications of mines or explosives". However, the UN nuclear watchdog says it has not been able to access the roofs of reactor units 3 and 4, nor parts of the turbine halls and the cooling system at the plant.

Kyiv accused Moscow this week of planning "dangerous provocations" at the site, while Russia accused Ukraine of similar plans. Ukraine on Wednesday called on the international community to respond to what it called Russian military escalation at the Zaporizhzhia plant.

"It is high time for the world to take immediate action," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
in Kyiv stated.

"Russia deploying military personnel, establishing fortifications on at least three reactors, placing explosives in the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant directly threatens a nuclear incident at Europe's largest atomic power plant," it further stated.

Russia claims Kyiv is planning an act of "sabotage".

"The situation is quite tense because the threat of sabotage by the Kyiv regime is truly great and
sabotage that could have catastrophic consequences," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday. "The Kyiv regime has repeatedly shown that nothing is out of the question. We saw this recently during the explosion of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant, also with terrible consequences," Peskov said.

Russia and Ukraine have regularly accused each other of endangering the plant's safety since Russian President Vladimir Putin sent troops into Ukraine in February last year.