Zaporizhzhia Authorities Slam IAEA Reports About Powerful Explosions At NPP As Provocation

SIMFEROPOL (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 27th January, 2023) The International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) report about powerful explosions in the vicinity of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is not true and is a provocation, Vladimir Rogov, a member of the Zaporizhzhia regional administration's main council, told Sputnik on Thursday.

Earlier in the day, the IAEA issued a statement saying that the agency's experts stationed at the plant have reported powerful explosions in the area of the Zaporizhzhia NPP, "indicating military activities in the vicinity of the site located on the frontline of the ongoing conflict." According to the statement, the experts have been reporting such incidents to HQ in Vienna almost daily in recent days and weeks.

"This information does not correspond to reality.

There were no explosions, especially powerful ones, near the nuclear power plant. Obviously, this is some kind of the IAEA's cunning game or ploy, aimed at provocation or some steps to discredit the situation in the region," Rogov said.

The official said that the agency aims to question the ability of the Russian military to guarantee safety and protect the NPP from Ukraine's shelling.

"One gets the impression that the IAEA is carrying out the political will of the Kiev regime and their masters, who are concerned about the successful offensive actions of the Russian army on the Zaporizhzhia sections of the front line, so they are trying to slow it down in every way, including by spreading disinformation," Rogov said.