ISTANBUL

Ukraine claimed on Thursday that a Russian mine exploded near the control room of the fourth power unit at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.

“The Russian occupiers continue to turn the Zaporizhzhia NPP into a military base, mining the perimeter around the station. And these actions cannot but have consequences. According to sources, an explosion rang out near the engine room of the 4th power unit,” a statement by the administration of the city of Enerhodar said on Telegram.

The statement further claimed that the sounds of the explosion were heard by Ukrainian nuclear workers who continue to work at the plant, but that Russians tried to "pacify" the workers and quickly “cover their tracks” so that experts of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) would not see.

“Europe's largest nuclear facility continues to suffer from the arbitrariness of the Russian military and their henchmen, while Ukrainian personnel are desperately trying to maintain the nuclear and radiation safety of the entire continent,” the statement concluded.

Russia and the IAEA have yet to respond to the claims.

Zaporizhzhia, Europe’s largest and one of the world’s 10 biggest nuclear power plants, has been under Russian control since March last year, soon after the start of the Ukraine war.

Fears of a nuclear catastrophe persist amid reports of shelling around the area.​​​​​​​