Russian Embassy on Zaporozhye NPP Situation: Western Media Must Stop Russophobia

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The Russian Embassy in the US has called on American journalists to cease their "russophobic" mulling regarding the attack against the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant (NPP).

"We call on the United Nations and the International Atomic Energy Agency [IAEA] to condemn Kiev’s criminal acts and take urgent measures to prevent provocations at radiation hazardous facilities in Ukraine. As for American journalists - stop bawling russophobic fabrications," the embassy said on Sunday.

Yevgeny Balitsky, the head of the administration of the Zaporozhye Region, said on Sunday that the IAEA is aware of the risks associated with the shelling of the Zaporozhye NPP by Ukrainian troops, but is not taking any real measures to prevent the attacks.

Earlier in the day, the authorities of the city of Enerhodar said that Ukrainian troops launched an attack at Zaporozhye NPP overnight, using an Uragan multiple rocket launcher, with shrapnel and a rocket engine falling at 400 meters (1,312 feet) from the station's operating power unit.

In the event of damage to the unit, the lives of hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian residents of Ukraine, Europe, and Asia will be at risk, according to Energodar's administration.

The Zaporozhye NPP is located on the left bank of the Dnieper river, close to the city of Energodar. It is the largest NPP in the European region in terms of the number of units, and total installed capacity.

Since March, the Zaporozhye NPP has been under the protection of the Russian military. The Russian Foreign Ministry emphasized that the Russian troops took the NPP under protection to prevent leakage of nuclear and radioactive materials. According to the ministry, the NPP is currently managed by a Ukrainian operator.

Ukrainian forces have already attempted to attack the plant several times since the beginning of Russia's military operation, most recently on Friday.

According to the Russian embassy in Washington, western media have launched a disinformation campaign regarding the situation at the Zaporozhye NPP.