War in Ukraine: Ukraine strikes a Russian base not far from the nuclear power plant of Zaporijjia
Eva Deschamps / September 3, 2022
Ukraine said Friday it struck a Russian base in Energodar, the town where the Zaporijjia nuclear power plant is located and occupied by Russian troops, a day after a visit by a mission from the International Atomic Energy Agency.
In the localities of Kherson and Energodar, precise strikes by our troops destroyed three enemy artillery systems, as well as an ammunition depot, the Ukrainian army said in its evening report.
Questioned by AFP by phone, the pro-Kiev mayor of Energodar Dmytro Orlov, currently in exile, said he had no information on this subject, mentioning serious problems with the mobile network in this city on Friday.
The Ukrainian army also said that Russian forces had evacuated all their military equipment from the plant site before the arrival of the IAEA mission, several members of which remained at the plant and are still there.
The Zaporizhia power plant, the largest in Europe, fell into the hands of Russian troops in March, shortly after Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine, and its site was targeted by several bombings, raising fears of a nuclear disaster.
Kiev and Moscow blame each other for these strikes.
On Thursday morning, before the arrival of the IAEA mission, the Ukrainian authorities accused the Russians of having bombed Energodar with the intention of blaming Kiev.
At the same time, the Russian military accused the Ukrainians of sending a team of saboteurs to take over the nuclear power plant.
Ukraine said it had launched a counter-offensive to retake the Russian-occupied southern territories but locked down any communication about it.