The Zaporizhia nuclear power plant is Europe's largest and is located near the front in southeastern Ukraine. It has been controlled by Russia since March 2022 and is used in war propaganda from both Russian and Ukrainian sides.
For months, Ukraine has warned that Russia could deliberately release radioactivity, and Russia has blamed Ukraine for shelling the power plant.
Ukraine: Explosives on the roof
On Tuesday evening, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted a post on Twitter claiming Ukraine has new intelligence. He claims that the Russian military has placed "objects reminiscent of explosives" on the roofs of several of the reactors.
"Perhaps to simulate an attack," the president writes.
According to his Ministry of Defense, they were placed on the outside of reactors 3 and 4.
"A detonation would not damage the reactors, but give the picture of Ukrainian shelling," it said in a statement.
Russia: Nonsense
But according to Renat Kartya, adviser to the Russian nuclear power company Rosenergoatom, the accusations are unfounded.
"It is nonsense to maintain tensions around Zaporizhia," he said.
Karyaa also reportedly told Russian media that Ukraine was planning to strike the power plant.
Later, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that there is a great threat of "sabotage by the Kiev regime that would have catastrophic consequences."
Neither Russia nor Ukraine has presented evidence for the claims. Despite this, people have started to leave areas near Zaporizhia, writes Sky News.
Experts downplay
The American Institute for the Study of War, on the other hand, downplays the rhetoric. The think tank stands by its previous stance: it is unlikely that Russia would sabotage the power plant in order to blame Ukraine.
In addition, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has carried out inspections on an ongoing basis. On Wednesday, the UN agency wrote on Twitter that experts have again inspected parts of the facilities, "so far without finding visible signs" of explosives.
What risks would a detonation on the roof of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant entail – what is the worst that could happen? Listen to the Swedish Radiation Protection Authority's expert Mattias Karlsson in the video above.