A Russian official has told UN inspectors that a missile near the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant made a full 180-degree turn – which is why it appeared to have come from Russian-occupied territory, it has been reported.
The official, who accompanied UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors on a visit to Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, was filmed being questioned about why the missile appeared to be coming from Russian-occupied territory.
He claimed that the missile was fired from the Ukrainian side to make a turn in the air before landing, as if it were coming from the direction of Russian troops.
“It fled from here and this is the direction of Nikopol,” said Mr Karchaa, who accompanied the delegation, according to the Telegraph. “It made a U-turn. Basically it landed and turned around.” The small town of Nikopol, which is under Ukrainian control, is just across the Dnipro River from the Zaporizhzhya plant.
The unlikely claim comes as fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces continued to rage on Friday and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned in his overnight speech on Thursday that independent journalists could not cover the visit, allowing the Russians to present a one-sided, “pointless tour.”
The head of Ukraine’s powerful National Security Council said work is underway to ensure Ukraine’s power supply in case the connection to the Zaporizhzhya site goes down this winter.
Oleksiy Danilov also said Ukrainian authorities were not fully aware of the situation at the plant for the time being, despite the presence of UN nuclear inspectors.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Mr. Danilov said Kiev did not know if the factory would have been mined by the Russians, adding: “I want to emphasize that this is a challenge for the whole world, how to make this nuclear facility not dangerous.”
Russia and Ukraine have traded the blame for a shelling attack that led to a temporary shutdown of the reactor by its emergency protection system on Thursday.
Russia and Ukraine have also exchanged allegations that the other side is trying to obstruct the work of the IAEA experts or control the message.
The 14-strong delegation arrived in convoy this week after months of negotiations to allow the experts to pass through the front lines.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday after letting colleagues in, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said the agency “wouldn’t move” from the factory from now on, promising a “continuous presence” from agency experts. .
Mr Grossi said it was “clear that the factory and the physical integrity of the factory have been violated on several occasions” – and said he could not judge whether it was accidental or intentional.
“I will continue to worry about the factory until we have a more stable situation,” he said.
The factory is occupied by Russian troops but has been run by Ukrainian engineers since the start of the 6-month war.