The Kremlin has again accused Ukraine of being responsible for the attacks on the Kursk nuclear power plant in western Russia.
The accusation came a day after Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), visited the facility and warned of the “extremely serious” risk of a nuclear accident there.
Grossi noted that the plant has been operating normally so far, despite claims by Russia that Ukrainian forces attempted to attack the site with drones as part of their major cross-border invasion of Russian territory.
During his visit, he said Russia had informed him about the alleged drone attacks, but he did not elaborate on the details or who was to blame.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov suggested on Wednesday that Grossi had not been entirely candid.
“Grossi saw the consequences of the drone attacks on the plant and assessed the threat that these attacks could pose, as well as the potential threat that still exists,” he said.
“For understandable reasons, the IAEA says it is not authorized to name the perpetrator of the attacks, but in this case it is so clear that there is no doubt about it. The guilt of the Ukrainian side in escalating the nuclear danger is more than clear,” Peskov was quoted as saying by state news agency TASS.
Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine of attempting to attack the nuclear power plant, without providing any evidence. Kiev denied the accusation.
On August 6, Ukrainian units occupied Russian territory for the first time since the start of the all-out invasion ordered by Putin in February 2022.
The exact location of the Ukrainian front in the Russian region of Kusk is not clear. According to reports, the troops are less than 30 kilometers away from the nuclear power plant.
