MELITOPOL, May 4. /TASS/. The Ukrainian authorities have been spreading misinformation about the situation at the Zaporozhye NPP in order to create a pretext to carry out a strike on the plant or outright seize it, Vladimir Rogov, the leader of the We Are Together with Russia movement, told TASS on Thursday. He was speaking in the wake of allegations by the Ukrainian company Energoatom that the Russian military was storing explosives on ZNPP premises.

Earlier, the ZNPP’s former operator company claimed that Russian forces had allegedly placed military equipment, weapons and explosives in the turbine room of the 4th unit.

"Such claims belong in the ‘we shelled ourselves, we blew ourselves up’ category. We don't use the nuclear power plant as a military facility. This has been proven and confirmed more than once. This is the latest in a long line of falsehoods from Energoatom," Rogov said.

He believes that in this way Ukraine wants to "legitimize its future military strike on the nuclear plant."

"Apparently, Kiev has already made such a decision, which it will have to justify somehow. Or it may start yelling again: 'It wasn't us, they’ve shelled themselves. That's what caused the explosives to go off. We warned you!’ Nuclear terrorism is the [Ukrainian President Vladimir] Zelensky regime’s favorite pastime," Rogov said.

He stressed that the authorities in Kiev were acting this way in a bid to avoid responsibility for the consequences of future military actions against the nuclear plant.

"I have no doubt that in the near future we will see sabotage against the nuclear power plant, strikes against it, and even an attempted assault," Rogov warned.

In the meantime, normal work proceeds at the ZNPP, he said. The personnel have been concluding contracts with ZNPP management and undergoing training.

"The nuclear plant is being put in order, everything is being brought to the condition in which it should be according to Russian regulations," Rogov concluded.

Zaporozhye NPP profile

The ZNPP, located in Energodar, has six power units with a total capacity of 6 GW. It is the largest nuclear power generating facility in Europe. At the end of February 2022, the facility was taken over by Russian forces. Since then, Ukrainian army units have periodically shelled both residential areas in Energodar and the plant itself using drones, heavy artillery and multiple rocket launchers.