kyiv: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said a Russian drone had hit a roof built to contain radiation at the Chernobyl nuclear energy plant, and added that the radiation levels were normal.
Russia has denied the accusation of Zelenskiy, saying that the statement of the president of Ukraine that a Russian drone had hit the Chernobyl nuclear energy plant was a “provocation” staged by kyiv to blackmail West to give him more help.
Zelenskiy had said that a drone had caused significant damage to the radiation containment shelter, but that radiation levels remained normal after the incident, which was like the main US, Ukrainian and European officials met at the conference Munich security to discuss war. Ukraine.
A spokesman from the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, accused Zelenskiy of orchestrate the alleged drone attack to coincide with the Munich event as part of a lobbying effort to ensure more weapons and money from the West.
“There was never any doubt that Zelenskiy would not come to Munich’s conference empty -handed […] The hands of the kyiv regime must always be busy with the rattle of some children to distract the attention of the conference participants. Zelenskiy travels with actions backed by provocations, “Zakharova told a news conference in Moscow.
“Is there any doubt in someone’s mind that this is a provocation? There can be no doubt. A performance was needed to press for the deliveries of arms and convince the world public. A terrifying, bloody and very dangerous action,” He said, accusing Kyiv of the use of nuclear plants for “blackmail.”
The Ukraine Air Force said Russia had launched 133 drones throughout the country during the night, including attack drones, aimed at regions of the north of the country where the Chernobyl energy plant is located.
“Last night, an unmanned plane of Russian attack with a high explosive head hit the roof that protected the world of radiation in the destruction of the 4th power unit of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant,” Zelenskiy said in a position in a position In social networks.
The comments occurred only a few hours before Zelenskiy should meet with the US vice president.
The attack is evidence that Russian President Vladimir “Putin is definitely not being prepared for negotiations: he is preparing to continue deceiving the world,” Zelenskiy said.
The CCTV images published by the Ukrainian leader showed an explosion on the side of the Chernobyl structure in images that was trafficked 02:02 am (0002 GMT).
The Kremlin rejected that its army attacked Ukrainian nuclear structures.
“It is not about any blow to such nuclear infrastructure sites. Any statement that this was the case does not correspond to reality. The Russian army does not do this,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday, after declaring He didn’t. Have “exact information” about the successful success in Chernobyl.
Zelenskiy’s video also showed a small fire and a hole on the roof, and firefighters who wear a hose to turn off the fire from inside the dome.
He said the drone had flown at an altitude of 85 meters (yards), too low to be detected by radar.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (OIEA) also reported an “explosion” on the site, and said that “radiation levels inside and outside remain normal and stable.”
The agency, which has had a team deployed in Chernobyl from the early stages of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, published images that show the drone on fire after colliding against coverage.
The OIEA has repeatedly warned about the dangers of fighting around nuclear plants after the large -scale military offensive of Russia in Ukraine in February 2022.
