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Kyiv Says 'Tension' Around Zaporizhzhia Plant 'Decreasing'

Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. IAEA Imagebank / flickr

Ukraine said Thursday that "tension" around the Moscow-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant was "decreasing," after Kyiv and Moscow accused each other this week of plotting provocations at the atomic facility. 

"Tension is gradually decreasing," Nataliya Gumenyuk, an army spokeswoman, said, adding that this was thanks to the "powerful work" of Kyiv's military and diplomatic efforts "with our foreign partners, who put pressure" on Russia.

Fears for the safety of the plant, which is Europe's largest, have persisted throughout Russia's invasion. 

Kyiv earlier this week said Moscow was planning "dangerous provocations" at the plant. 

President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian forces had installed "objects similar to explosives" on the plant, warning his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron about the situation. 

Moscow has accused Kyiv of planning "sabotage" acts and strikes on the Russian-controlled plant. 

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Wednesday called for additional access to the facility to "confirm the absence of mines or explosives at the site."

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