MELITOPOL, August 20. /TASS/. Ukrainian forces again opened fire on the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant on Saturday using West-supplied weapons, but critical facilities were not damaged in the attack, the civil-military administration of Energodar city, home to the NPP, said.
"Kiev’s punitive forces have opened fire on the Zaporozhye NPP and the outskirts of Energodar," the administration wrote on its Telegram channel. "Artillery strikes on the area of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant have been recorded."
"According to received reports, Western long-range weapons were used for the strike. The fire came from the opposite bank of the Dnieper River. The shells exploded very close to one of the administrative buildings. The plant’s critical facilities were not damaged," the civil-military administration said.
There are no immediate reports about casualties among the plant’s employees.
In the meantime, Vladimir Rogov, a member of the main council of the civil-military administration of the Zaporozhye Region, wrote on his Telegram channel that Ukraine’s Armed Forces had opened fire on the outskirts of Energodar after an artillery strike on the nuclear power plant.
"Immediately after the artillery strike on the Zaporozhye NPP, militants of [Ukrainian President Vladimir] Zelensky opened fire on the suburbs of Energodar," he wrote. "Information about casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure is being clarified. The city’s emergency services are promptly gathering information and are poised to provide assistance to injured people."
The Zaporozhye NPP, located in the city of Energodar, is under control of Russian troops. In recent days, Ukrainian forces have conducted several strikes on the plant, using drones, heavy artillery and multiple rocket launchers. In most cases, the attacks were repelled by air defense systems, but some shells hit the plant’s infrastructure as well as the nuclear waste storage facility area.
155mm artillery rounds
The strike on the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant was carried out with NATO-standard 155mm munitions fitted with fuses made in the US, the civil-military administration of Energodar city wrote on its Telegram channel on Saturday.
"The strike was conducted with the use of NATO-standard 155mm rounds fitted with US fuses M739," the post says adding that the shells landed on the premises of the nuclear power plant.
The plant’s critical facilities were not damaged in the attack. Having conducted an artillery strike on the nuclear power plant, the Ukrainian Armed Forces opened fire on the outskirts of Energodar.
The Zaporozhye NPP, located in the city of Energodar, is under control of Russian troops. In recent days, Ukrainian forces have conducted several strikes on the plant, using drones, heavy artillery and multiple rocket launchers. In most cases, the attacks were repelled by air defense systems, but some shells hit the plant’s infrastructure as well as the nuclear waste storage facility area. On Thursday, Alexander Volga, head of Energodar’s civil-military administration, said that all services were put on alert in the event of any provocations by the Ukrainian forces at the nuclear power plant.