MELITOPOL, August 31. /TASS/. A group of armed saboteurs, who were plotting a terrorist attack on the Zaporozhye NPP and had complete information about this facility and its vulnerabilities, has been detained in Energodar, a member of the main council of the Zaporozhye Region’s military-civilian administration, Vladimir Rogov, told TASS on Wednesday.
"We know that they were preparing a series of terrorist attacks at the nuclear power plant, timed to coincide with the IAEA mission’s visit," said Rogov, the chairman of the movement We are together with Russia.
"Moreover, they had a large amount of explosives, explosive devices, small arms and grenade launchers. They were very well prepared. They possessed complete information about the special features of the nuclear power plant and its least protected places. As a result of detective measures the terrorist attack was prevented and the group detained at their location in Energodar. Without a single shot fired," he said.
Rogov did not specify when exactly the operation to detain the saboteurs took place.
He believes that the aim of Kiev’s failed terrorist attack was to "create an impression the process is out of control, the NPPs safety and security is not guaranteed, and it is necessary to put it under external control and to bring in peacekeepers." According to Rogov, "they are seriously considering the possibility of introducing external control by Western or NATO forces, and so on" in order to make everybody think "Russia cannot ensure the NPP’s security."
The IAEA mission left Vienna on Monday and arrived in Kiev on Tuesday. The delegation met with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky. On Wednesday morning, the IAEA mission’s convoy left Kiev for the ZNPP. The mission will assess the physical damage caused to the power plant and look into operation of the safety and security systems. The specialists will also assess the working conditions of the power plant’s personnel and take urgent measures concerning the NPP’s safety guarantees.