(Reuters) – The top Russian-installed official in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region said on Friday that shelling of the Russian-controlled nuclear power plant there had “almost stopped”.
Speaking on Russian state television, Russian-installed regional governor Yevgeny Balitsky said that Russian troops would not leave the nuclear power station, and that it would never return to Ukrainian control.
The Zaporizhzhia plant, Europe’s largest, was captured by Russian forces in March, soon after their invasion of Ukraine.
The plant remains near the frontlines, and has repeatedly come under fire in recent months, raising fears of a nuclear disaster. Moscow and Kyiv have accused each other of shelling the facility.
The International Atomic Energy Agency is attempting to broker an agreement around the plant’s security, proposing to create a safe zone around it. Russian officials on Thursday heralded progress in talks with IAEA chief Rafael Grossi in Moscow.
(Reporting by Reuters)
