Ukraine nuclear power station shelled, U.N. nuclear watchdog says - Reuters

LONDON, Nov 20 (Reuters) - Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia atomic powerfulness plant, which is nether Russian control, was rocked by shelling connected Sunday, drafting condemnation from the U.N. atomic watchdog which said specified attacks risked a large atomic disaster.

More than a twelve blasts shook Europe's biggest atomic powerfulness works connected Saturday evening and Sunday, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said. Moscow and Kyiv some blamed the different for the shelling of the facility.

"The quality from our squad yesterday and this greeting is highly disturbing," said Rafael Grossi, caput of the IAEA, whose squad connected the crushed said determination had been harm to immoderate buildings, systems and instrumentality astatine the plant.

"Explosions occurred astatine the tract of this large atomic powerfulness plant, which is wholly unacceptable. Whoever is down this, it indispensable halt immediately. As I person said galore times before, you're playing with fire!"

Repeated shelling of the works successful confederate Ukraine, which Russia took power of soon aft its February invasion, has raised interest astir the imaginable for a sedate mishap conscionable 500 km (300 miles) from the tract of the world's worst atomic accident, the 1986 Chornobyl disaster.

The Zaporizhzhia atomic powerfulness works provided astir a 5th of Ukraine's energy earlier Russia's Feb. 24 invasion, and has been forced to run connected back-up generators a fig of times. It has six Soviet-designed VVER-1000 V-320 water-cooled and water-moderated reactors containing Uranium 235.

The reactors are unopen down but determination is simply a hazard that atomic substance could overheat if the powerfulness that drives the cooling systems was cut. Shelling has repeatedly chopped powerfulness lines.

SIDES SWAP BLAME

Both Kyiv and Moscow person accused each different of attacking the works connected respective occasions during the struggle and risking a atomic accident, and they again exchanged blasted connected Sunday.

Russia's defence ministry said Ukraine fired shells astatine powerfulness lines supplying the plant, portion TASS reported immoderate of the site's retention facilities had been deed by Ukrainian shelling, quoting an authoritative from Russian atomic powerfulness relation Rosenergoatom.

"They shelled not lone yesterday, but besides today, they are shelling close now," said Renat Karchaa, an advisor to Rosenergoatom's CEO, adding that immoderate artillery onslaught astatine the tract posed a menace to atomic safety.

Karchaa said the shells had been fired adjacent a adust atomic discarded retention installation and a gathering that houses caller spent atomic fuel, but that nary radioactive emissions had presently been detected, according to TASS.

Ukraine's atomic vigor steadfast Energoatom accused the Russian subject of shelling the tract and said determination were astatine slightest 12 hits connected works infrastructure.

It said that Russia had targeted the infrastructure indispensable to restart parts of the works successful an effort to further bounds Ukraine's powerfulness supply.

Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge successful London, Pavel Polityuk successful Kyiv and Caleb Davis successful Gdansk; Writing by Guy Faulconbridge; Editing by Pravin Char and Frances Kerry

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