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Russian official denies Kiev’s claims ZNPP employees ordered to leave by July 5

The Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) said earlier that the power plant’s personnel had allegedly been ordered to leave for Crimea by July 5

MELITOPOL, June 30. /TASS/. Ukraine’s allegation about the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant’s (ZNPP) employees receiving orders to leave the facility by July 5 is untrue, Renat Karchaa, an advisor to the chief executive of Russia’s Rosenergoatom nuclear power plant operator, told TASS.

The Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) said earlier that the power plant’s personnel had allegedly been ordered to leave for Crimea by July 5. According to the agency, three Rosatom employees and several other staff members have already left.

"It’s another lie and manipulation of facts. Rosatom employees haven’t left for good but have gone away on a business trip for a few days. Two of them, not three," Karchaa said, adding that several other people had gone on summer vacation.

According to the advisor, Ukraine has not abandoned plans to stage a provocation at the Zaporozhye NPP, which will lead to a nuclear incident. However, he does not think that the date provided by the GUR is when Ukraine will take action. "This is a form of manipulation to make everyone believe that they are going to do something on July 5, to try to scare us. They are bluffing, but just about the date, not about their intentions," Karchaa added.

He stressed that Kiev and its patrons would not succeed in blaming Russia for any potential nuclear incident. "We are already prepared for it. It’s not like lighting a haystack on fire, running away and blaming it on someone else. It’s a nuclear incident. If Ukraine goes ahead with it, it will pay very dearly," Karchaa concluded.

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