The Ukrainian army bombed a city that includes the Zaporozhye nuclear plant, amid accusations between Kyiv and Moscow of endangering the facility, while a Russian official did not rule out resorting to nuclear weapons.
Today, Friday, the Ukrainian army announced that it had bombed a Russian military base in the city of Energodar, which is under the control of Russian forces in the Zaporozhye region (southeast of Ukraine, where the Zaporozhye nuclear plant is located), in a first step of its kind since the start of the crisis over the largest of its kind in Europe.
"Specific strikes carried out by our forces in the Energodar (southeast) and Kherson (south) regions destroyed 3 enemy artillery systems and an ammunition depot," the Ukrainian military said in a statement.
This bombing comes a day after the arrival of the International Atomic Energy Agency mission to the nuclear plant.
Ukraine and Russia have repeatedly accused each other of targeting the nuclear plant, and these accusations were renewed while the UN mission was on its way to the plant on Thursday.
The bombing around the Zaporozhye plant raised fears of a nuclear catastrophe, and demanded that Ukraine and Western countries clear the region of any military presence.
Initial evaluation
Meanwhile, the IAEA mission has completed the first phase of its mission at the Zaporozhye nuclear plant.
The Director of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, said that the agency's mission concluded this stage of its mission after conducting a preliminary assessment of the situation at the nuclear facility, and he had spoken yesterday about the violation of the plant's safety repeatedly.
Grossi revealed that a number of experts in the agency will remain at the station after the departure of the mission.
For its part, the Ukrainian Atomic Energy Authority said that the mission of the International Atomic Energy Agency of the United Nations was not allowed to enter the crisis center at the station.
The Ukrainian military also said that the Russian army had withdrawn all military equipment from the nuclear plant before the arrival of international inspectors.
A real threat and nuclear terrorism
On the other hand, the Kremlin said it viewed the arrival of an IAEA mission to the Zaporozhye nuclear plant as a very positive step, adding that it was too early to assess the work of the UN inspectors.
Simultaneously, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that the Ukrainian strikes on the nuclear plant pose a real threat of catastrophe in Europe, and are considered nuclear terrorism, as he described it.
In turn, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said that Russia can use nuclear weapons if the state's existence is threatened, adding that the order is stipulated in the Russian military doctrine.
The TASS news agency quoted Ryabkov as saying that the degree of US involvement in the situation around Ukraine, including military support, is increasing, describing this as a dangerous trend.
The Russian official added that his country is concerned that the weapons that reach Ukraine from the United States may end up in the hands of extremist groups, considering that the psychological pressure exerted by Washington will not bother Moscow, as he put it.
Russia's RS-24 strategic nuclear missile during a military parade in Moscow in 2020 (European News Agency)
On the other hand, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmyal said that Russia poses a danger to all of Europe, and called on Germany to change its approach to the issue of arms exports to Ukraine.
Shmyhal added, ahead of an upcoming visit to Berlin tomorrow, that Ukraine wants to obtain more weapons quickly, and to supply modern "Leopard" battle tanks.
The Ukrainian prime minister also noted that Kyiv expects the United States to supply the "Abrams" tanks it needs on the battlefield.