<div style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday told his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron that Russia was planning "dangerous provocations" at the Moscow-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.</span><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">His statement came after Kyiv and Moscow traded accusations of preparing an incident at the plant, which is Europe's largest.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Fears over the safety risks for the nuclear plant have persisted throughout Russia's invasion.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"I warned Emmanuel Macron that the occupation troops are preparing dangerous provocations at the Zaporizhzhia plant," Zelensky said in a statement after a phone call with his French counterpart.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"We agreed to keep the situation under maximum control together with the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency)," he added.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In his evening address, Zelensky said Russia had "installed objects similar to explosives" on the plant, according to Ukrainian intelligence.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"Perhaps to simulate the hit on the plant. Maybe they have some other scenario. But in any case, the world sees it," the Ukrainian leader said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"Radiation is a threat to everyone in the world."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The claim about the explosives was earlier made by the Ukrainian army, which warned of the "possible preparation of a provocation on the territory of the Zaporizhzhia power plant in the near future".</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It claimed that "external objects similar to explosive devices were placed on the outer roof of the third and fourth reactors" at the site.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"Their detonation should not damage power units, but may create a picture of shelling from the Ukrainian side," it said, alleging that Moscow would "misinform on this".</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In Moscow, an advisor to Russia's Rosatom nuclear agency, Renat Karchaa, accused Kyiv of planning an attack on the plant.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"Today, we got information that I am authorised to announce... On July 5, literally at night, in the dark, the Ukrainian army will try to attack the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant," Karchaa told Russian state television.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">He claimed that Ukraine planned to use "high-precision, long-range weapons" as well as drones.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Russia and Ukraine have regularly accused each other of putting the plant's safety at risk since the outbreak of the war in February 2022. AFP</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>