Russia says Ukraine struck nuclear plant again, Kyiv denies the attack

MOSCOW/KYIV (Reuters) -Russia said on Tuesday that Ukraine attacked the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant for a third day with a drone but Ukrainian officials denied that Kyiv had anything to do with the attacks.

Ukraine has denied it is behind a series of drone attacks on the plant over the past three days, including three on Sunday, which the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said had endangered nuclear safety.

“The unique training centre of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant was attacked,” the Russian-controlled plant said in a statement.

The drone fell on the roof of the training centre, it said. No one was injured.

The Kremlin has said the drone strikes were carried out by Ukraine and were very dangerous with extremely grave potential consequences.

Ukrainian military intelligence said Kyiv does not attack nuclear facilities.

“Ukraine’s position is clear and unequivocal– we do not commit any military actions or provocations on nuclear facilities,” Andriy Yusov, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s military intelligence, said on national TV.

Ukraine’s foreign ministry drove the point home, saying in a statement that Russia was the only threat to the Zaporizhzhia plant, which “has not only seized, militarised and is trying to hijack a nuclear power plant, but also uses it as a platform for propaganda.”

RIA state news agency said the drone attack on the training centre happened just 10 minutes after representatives of the International Atomic Energy Agency mission passed by.

Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia’s ambassador to international organisations in Vienna, said on the Telegram messaging app that the call by the EU’s foreign policy chief for Russia to withdraw from Zaporizhzhia “sounds like an encouragement for further Ukrainian attacks.”

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said earlier on Tuesday that drone attacks on the plant increase the risk of dangerous nuclear accidents.

“Such attacks must stop,” Borrell said on social media platform X.

“Russia should withdraw from Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.”

An extraordinary meeting of the U.N. nuclear watchdog’s 35-nation Board of Governors called by Russia to discuss attacks on the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine is due to be held on Thursday, four diplomats said.

(Reporting by Reuters; editing by Sandra Maler and Stephen Coates)