Russia allegedly told workers at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant not to come to work on Fridays, Ukrainian military intelligence exclusive to NBC News have confirmed it.
This comes amid allegations and speculation from both Russia and Ukraine that an incident was planned at the factory on Friday.
On Thursday, Russia threatened to shut down factories andwarned of the risk ofman-made disasterdue to continued shelling by Ukraine.
But Ukraine has a completely different story, according to Andriy Yusov, a spokesman for the main intelligence agency of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
"We have new information. It arrived about 30 minutes ago. Tomorrow, on August 19th, he has been ordered not to come to work for the majority of the staff," Yusof said. he told NBC News.
"This is what the Russians said to their people, mainly Rosatom employees," he said, referring to the Russian Atomic Energy Agency.
He said this could be evidence that Russia is preparing a "massive provocation" at the power plant on Friday.
“I do not rule out the possibility of a large-scale provocation by Russia on ZNPP territory tomorrow. It is confirmed by human actions," he added, referring to the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant.
NBC News has reached out to Russia for comment.
Earlier Thursday, the Russian Defense Ministry condemned Ukraine and what it called a "US attack." To blame Russia, it tried to cause a "minor accident" at a factory in southern Ukraine on Friday.
It said the "provocation" coincided with a visit to Ukraine by UN Secretary-General António Guterres and may have been linked to a radiation leak.
Trading Liability
Europe's largest Zaporizhia nuclear facility was occupied by Russia shortly after it invaded Ukraine almost six months ago, and was subjected to repeated shelling from both Moscow and Kyiv. received. because of the transaction.
Russia has repeatedly accused Ukrainian forces of recklessly firing on the factory, but Ukraine has said that Russia will launch attacks against its own people against the complex. It is said that it is intentionally used as a base for
NBC News has not confirmed either side's claims.
A senior Ukrainian official told Reuters that the simplest solution to the situation would be for the Russian military to withdraw from the factories, remove the munitions stored there and clear the mines. said.
Igor Konashenkov, a spokesman for the Russian Ministry of Defense, told reporters on Thursday that Moscow was taking steps to ensure the security of the complex, and that heavy traffic was being placed in and around the factory. He denied deploying firearms.
However, the ministry said an attempt could be made to close the factory if Ukrainian forces continued to shell.
In a briefing, Igor Kirillov, head of Russia's Radiological, Chemical and Biological Defense Forces, said the factory's backup support system was damaged as a result of the shelling.
Kirillov presented a slide showing that in the event of an accident at the power plant, radioactive material would cover Germany, Poland and Slovakia.
