Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant reports shelling by Ukraine army

MOSCOW, March 14 (Reuters) – The Russian-controlled management of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe, said on Thursday that the Ukrainian army had shelled a critical infrastructure facility at the plant.

An explosive device was dropped near a fence where diesel fuel tanks are located, the plant reported.

“Such attacks are unacceptable,” it said.

It was not immediately clear when the attack had taken place. Reuters was unable to immediately verify battlefield reports from either side.

International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi has repeatedly warned of the danger of attacks on the plant.

Russia and Ukraine, at war for more than two years, have blamed each other for past shelling that has downed power lines and endangered generators.

Russia targets Ukraine with latest mass drone strike

Russian forces launched three-dozen drones across several Ukrainian regions overnight, hitting civilian infrastructure, authorities in Ukraine said on Thursday.

Oleh Synehubov, governor of the eastern Kharkiv region, said on Telegram that repairs were underway after “television infrastructure objects” had been struck, but offered no further details.

Authorities in the neighboring northeastern Sumy region said infrastructure in four cities had come under attack by Iranian-made drones.

Ukraine’s military said it shot down 22 of the 36 drones launched overnight by Russia.

Five were shot down over Ukraine’s southern Mykolaiv and southeastern Dnipropetrovsk regions, local officials said. There were no immediate details about where the other drones had struck or been shot down.

Russia has carried out regular air strikes on population centers far behind the lines of its two-year-old invasion of Ukraine.