There is “no adequate control” over operations at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Ukraine’s Interior Minister Denys Monastyrskyi said Friday.

The plant has been held by Russian forces since its capture in March but has continued operating at reduced capacity, largely by Ukrainian civilian technicians.

A recent uptick in artillery and mortar fire to the plant’s surrounding area led the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to state that the “alarming” situation had reached a “grave hour” on Thursday.

Repeating that the Ukrainian government has already appealed to the IAEA to ensure proper control over the plant, Monastyrskyi said that his ministry “is preparing for any scenario.”

“There is no adequate control over the operations at Zaporizhzhia NPP,” Monastyrskyi said in a Facebook post. “Now, it is actually not just in the hands of the enemy, but also in the hands of untrained specialists who can really allow a tragedy.”

“Those Ukrainian specialists who remained there are partially not allowed to the areas where they should be. As is known, military equipment of the Russian Federation is located on the territory of the station now. All this is assessed as the highest level of threat,” he added.

Both sides have blamed each other for putting the plant at risk, with Monastyrskyi accusing Russian forces of shelling the plant’s power unit.

“It’s hard to even imagine the scale of the tragedy that could happen if the Russians continue to stay there,” he said.

Fuente: CNN, EEUU