West seeks to blame Russia instead of Kiev by publishing fakes about NPP — ministry - TASS

The latest fake news on Zaporozhye nuclear power plant (NPP), published by the US media, are a yet another attempt to ascribe the Kiev government’s crimes to Russia, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The ministry noted that the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post had published articles about the Zaporozhye NPP, quoting the Ukrainian interior minister as saying that the station was "in the hands of untrained specialists" and this could lead to an apocalyptic scenario.

"US mass media pawns continue their attempts to wage a yet another disinformation campaign against Russia, this time about the Zaporozhye NPP situation," the ministry said. "The authors fail to mention the true reason why an IAEA international mission led by [Director General Rafael] Grossi has not taken place. The authors thoughtlessly reproduce the Kiev regime’s lies about Russian armed forces deliberately shelling the station’s infrastructure."

According to the ministry "Kiev’s Western patrons" clearly don’t want the global community to see "the true face of Ukrainian armed groups and witness barbaric crimes, committed by the nationalists."

"In both cases (the shelling of the Zaporozhye NPP and of the detention center in Yelenovka), the Russian side has publicly invited international experts to carry out an investigation. We have nothing to hide," the ministry continued. "The false stories of the US media are a yet another attempt of the collective West to ascribe the Kiev regime’s crimes to Russia with the help of its propaganda machine."

The ministry reiterated that the Russian armed forces took control of the NPP to "avert provocations by nationalist battalions."

"Only those whose minds are totally clouded by Russophobia can suggest that the Russian military would strike a nuclear facility and its own garrison stationed inside," the ministry added.