Amid shelling from Ukraine on the Russia-controlled Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, Russia and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) both have expressed grave concerns. The nuclear watchdog is urging both Ukraine and Russia to exercise “utmost restraint” around the site.

As Ukraine plans to carry out artillery strikes on the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, which is operated by Ukrainian staff but Russian military units guard the facility, a Russian Defense Ministry official has warned that any attack would cause a far worse disaster for Europe than the current energy crisis, media reports said.

Anticipating a Ukrainian artillery attack on the nuclear plant on Friday from the city of Nikopol, the Russian ministry in its statement said, “The blame for the consequences (of the strike) will be attributed to the Russian armed forces.”

During a briefing on Thursday, Igor Kirillov, who heads Russia's Nuclear Biological and Chemical Defense Troops, showed journalists a map, with plumes of radioactive material from the site reaching Poland, Slovakia, Romania, Moldova, Belarus and even Germany.

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He also blamed Ukraine's Western supporters for trying to downplay the danger of targeting the atomic plant, and forgetting the lessons of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, which affected some 20 countries, while causing 4,000 deaths, and the 2011 Fukushima nuclear incident, RT reported.