JRL NEWSWATCH: “Ukraine claims Russia is plotting ‘a provocation’ at nuclear plant, offers no evidence” – AP
“… Friday … the intelligence directorate of Ukraine’s Defense Ministry claimed … Russian forces would strike the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the biggest in Europe, and then report a radioactive leak … to trigger an international probe that would pause … hostilities and give … Russian forces … [needed] respite … to regroup ahead of [an anticipated Ukrainian] counteroffensive. In order to make that happen, Russia ‘disrupted the rotation of personnel of the permanent monitoring mission’ of the [IAEA]’ … scheduled for Saturday, the [Ukrainian] statement said. It didn’t offer evidence …. The Zaporizhzhia power plant is one of the 10 biggest nuclear plants in the world. … The plant’s … reactors have been shut down … [I]t still needs power and qualified staff to operate crucial cooling systems and other safety features. Fighting near[by] … repeatedly disrupted power supplies and has fueled fears of a potential catastrophe like … Chernobyl ….”