UKRAINE: ZNPP-SHELLING

Ukraine shells ZNPP area as IAEA delegation heads for the plant

ZAPOROZHYE, August 31. TASS-DEFENSE/. The military-civilian administration of Energodar said the armed forces of Ukraine carried out 17 artillery strikes as they shelled the city near the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant for two hours.

"The armed forces of Ukraine resumed shelling of the city's riverbank area near the ZNPP. The military-civilian administration of Energodar hereby reports that 17 artillery strikes on the riverbank were registered in the past two hours, which were made with [shells] of the 155 mm caliber that were fired from the opposite bank of the Dneper. Tentatively, the shelling by the nationalist formations of the Ukrainian forces is done using US howitzers M777," the administration said.

A mission of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is due to arrive at the Zaporozhye plant on Wednesday. It will travel from Kiev across the area controlled by Ukraine.

The Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, located in the city of Energodar, is controlled by Russian troops. The Russian Ministry of Defense said Ukrainian forces have inflicted several strikes on the territory of the station in recent days, using, in particular, drones, heavy artillery and multiple launch rocket systems. In most cases, the attacks are repelled by air defense systems, but some shells hit the infrastructure and the area of the nuclear waste repository.