MOSCOW (Reuters) – The Kremlin said on Monday that Western countries with influence over Ukraine should push Kyiv to stop shelling the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest.
In a call with reporters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the shelling of the plant was “extremely dangerous”.
Peskov said: “We expect the countries that have absolute influence on the Ukrainian leadership to use this influence in order to rule out the continuation of such shelling.”
Both Moscow and Kyiv have blamed each other for strikes in recent days near the power station, which is in territory controlled by Russian forces.
On Friday, Russian-installed officials in the nearby town of Enerhodar said Ukrainian shelling had damaged power lines servicing the plant. On Monday, Yevgeny Balitsky, head of the Russian-installed administration of Zaporizhzhia region, said the plant was working normally, Interfax reported.
The head of Ukraine’s state nuclear power company called on Monday for the plant to be made a demilitarised zone under the control of foreign peacekeepers.
(Reporting by Reuters; editing by Guy Faulconbridge)
