The Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine is still under the control of Russian forces and will remain so, the Kremlin spokesman said on Monday, a day after the Energoatom chairman spoke of signs suggesting preparations for a Russian withdrawal.
“There’s no need to look for signs [de préparatifs de retrait, NDLR] when there are none and there can be none,” Dmitry Peskov said in a conference call with journalists.
Ukrainians convinced of a Russian exit soon
Petro Kotin, chairman of Ukraine’s state-owned utility Energoatom, said on Sunday there were several signs that Russian troops may be preparing to abandon the Zaporizhzhia power plant, which they have controlled since March, in the first days of the offensive. . .
Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky, also said he was convinced Russian forces would abandon the plant, where Ukrainian Energoatom technicians continue to work.
“The front line is withdrawing towards the borders of the Russian Federation,” he said Sunday night on Ukrainian television, assuring that Ukrainian forces would regain control of the plant.
The Zaporizhia power plant – the largest in Europe – has been the object of repeated bombardments in recent months for which Moscow and Kyiv have refused to take responsibility and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) advocates the demilitarization of its surroundings, while the international community is concerned about the risk of a nuclear disaster.
Source: BFM TV
