The Russian military issued a lengthy statement Friday on fighting around the nuclear power plant near the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia.
In a video briefing, Russian Ministry of Defense spokesperson Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said Russian forces took the city of Enerhodar, the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and the territory adjacent to it on Monday.
“The military personnel of the Ukrainian National Guard who were guarding the power plant left the facility and disappeared in an unknown direction before the arrival of the Russian units,” he said. “The station facilities and the adjacent territory were taken under guard by Russian military personnel.”
Konashenkov claimed that the plant's technical staff continued regular work on the facilities, but that Ukrainian forces attempted a "monstrous provocation" in the early morning hours Friday.
"On March 4, at about 2:00 a.m., while patrolling a protected area adjacent to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, a mobile patrol of the Russian Guard was attacked by a Ukrainian sabotage group," Konashenkov said. "To provoke return fire on the building, heavy fire from small arms was opened at the servicemen of the Russian Guard from the windows of several floors of the training complex located outside the power plant."
Konashenkov claimed the Ukrainians were suppressed by return small-arms fire and said the Ukrainians deliberately set fire to the training building.
CNN could not immediately verify any details of the firefight on the territory of the plant.
"The fire brigades arrived at the building and extinguished the fire in the premises," Konashenkov said. "At the time of the provocation, none of the full-time employees of the power plant was in the training building. Currently, the staff of Zaporizhzhya NPP (nuclear power plant) continues to work as usual, maintains the NPP facilities and monitors the radioactive situation. The radioactive background in the area of the power plant is normal."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned Russia's attack on the nuclear power plant in a Facebook message earlier on Friday and warned of the dangers associated with attacks on nuclear facilities. There has been no indication that any of the reactors at Zaporizhzhia have been affected.
Konashenkov claimed that Zelensky's statements and communication about the incident "leave no doubt. The purpose of the provocation of the Kyiv regime at a nuclear facility is an attempt to accuse Russia of creating a source of radioactive contamination."
The Russian government has routinely and without evidence claimed the Ukrainian government is staging "provocations" to provoke a military response by Western governments.
CNN
Russia's unmanned Luna-25 spacecraft has crashed into the Moon after spinning out of control, officials say.
Donald Trump has confirmed that he will not take part in Republican presidential debates with his rivals in the race for the White House.