MOSCOW, July 6. /TASS/. Russia’s response to any Kiev’s attacks on the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant will be harsh, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said during a briefing Thursday.

"Russia will continue to ensure protection of the ZNPP and will respond extremely harshly to any Ukrainian attacks on this facility," she said. "Once again, we call on the UN and IAEA management not to turn a blind eye to the situation around the ZNPP and to say it clearly who is to blame for the ongoing events and who actually poses a threat for security and functioning of this civilian facility."

Ahead of the June 23 visit of IEAE Director General Rafael Grossi to Moscow, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky accused Moscow of allegedly preparing a terror attack at the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant. Without providing any proof, he notified Brazil, India, China, the US, as well as European, Middle Easter and African countries about it.

Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed Zelensky’s statement as yet another lie. Rosenergoatom CEO’s Advisor Renat Karchaa opined that these claims may indicate that Kiev is preparing a terror attack or a strike at the ZNPP in order to pull NATO into the Ukrainian conflict. On June 23, Russian Permanent Representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzya underscored that Moscow is highly concerned over Kiev’s increasingly frequent claims of the alleged mining of the ZNPP by Russia. He noted that the IAEA mission, who visited the power plant recently, was able to ensure the absurdity of such claims.