Kyiv: Ukraine has once again accused Russia of attacking the Zaporizhzhia atomic power plant. Nuclear power company Energoatom said on Telegram that Russian terrorists bombed the facility again at night.
The plant was seized by Russian troops in March.
The Zaporizhzhia atomic power plant in the southern region of Ukraine is Europe's largest atomic facility. It has become dangerous since both Moscow and Kyiv have been accusing each other of bombing the region. Ukraine and the West have been calling to de-militarise the areas around the nuclear facility.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Moscow of nuclear terrorism. He added that invading Russian troops are now panicking due to Kyiv advancing in an easter counteroffensive.
As per the operator, the strike damaged a power line which caused the stoppage of several transformers of the number six reactor of the plant. The company said even the presence of inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) does not stop the Russians and called for more resolute actions, reported AFP.
Moscow is also accused of stepping up "nuclear blackmail" after it allegedly bombed a third nuclear plant site, the Pivdennoukrainsk plant in the southern Mykolaiv region, on Monday. The attack created a large crater a few hundred metres away from the plant. The missile struck within 300 metres of the plant and left a hole 2 metres deep and 4 metres wide.
Following setbacks, Putin had last week threatened to attack Ukrainian infrastructure. Russia has been targeting Ukraine's electricity generation and transmission equipment in the seven-month-long war. Blackouts have endangered the safety system of nuclear plants several times.
The proximity of recent attacks to nuclear plants has renewed concerns that Moscow's actions will result in a radiation disaster. French President Emmanuel Macron recently asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to withdraw heavy weapons from the region and warned of potential "catastrophic" consequences.