Russia says it destroyed aircraft engine workshop in southeastern Ukraine

ISTANBUL

Russia’s Defense Ministry said Sunday that it destroyed a workshop for assembling aircraft engines at the Motor Sich plant in Ukraine’s southeastern Zaporizhzhia region.

“A high-precision attack launched by the Russian Aerospace Forces on the Motor Sich defense industrial entity has resulted in the destruction of the workshop tasked with assembling engines for aircraft of the Ukrainian Air Force,” it said in a statement.

The airstrike on the workshop was also mentioned during a video briefing by Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov.

The development comes as explosions were reported at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant by Russia and Ukraine as well as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) early Sunday.

The Russian state news agency TASS reported that 15 explosions were recorded at the plant, citing claims by Renat Karchaa, an adviser to Rosenergoatom, a subsidiary of Russian state nuclear agency Rosatom.

Ukraine's nuclear agency Energoatom later claimed that the Russian military hit facilities within the plant 12 times.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi called for an end to shelling near the nuclear power plant, saying “whoever is behind this, it must stop immediately. As I have said many times before, you're playing with fire.”​​​​​​​