MOSCOW and Kyiv have accused each other of shelling Europe's largest nuclear power plant, which was captured by Russia in March, but is still run by Ukrainian technicians.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres arrived to visit the key port, where the export of grain was recently restarted as per the Istanbul agreements between Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, and the UN.

Ukraine accused Russia earlier on Friday of planning a "large-scale provocation" at the vast nuclear plant and said Russian forces planned to disconnect the facility from the Ukrainian power grid and link it up to the Russian one.

Already only two of six reactors at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant are operating, potentially leaving Ukraine's electricity grid facing collapse this winter, with the crisis spilling into neighbouring European Union energy markets, according to Bloomberg News.

Guterres, asked about Russian plans to divert power to the Russian power grid, told reporters in the Black Sea port of Odesa that the plant should be demilitarised, a move that he said would resolve the problem.

"Obviously the electricity from Zaporizhzhia is Ukrainian electricity and it's necessary especially during the winter for the Ukrainian people. And this principle must be fully respected," he said, according to a Reuters report.

It is very emotional for me to see grain being loaded again on ship in Odesa. This ship also carries hope for the world’s most vulnerable people and countries. #WorldHumanitarianDay pic.twitter.com/lgXPrTGt7q
— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) August 19, 2022

According to international media, families living close to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in south-eastern Ukraine prepared on Friday to pack up their belongings and flee amid rising tensions that they fear could result in a nuclear disaster, the Washington Post reported.

International aid officials have voiced concern that such a move by Russia could trigger more hardship in the eastern part of Ukraine, particularly, and prompt more people to flee abroad, writes Reuters.

South Africa’s coal sales to Europe have surged following an increase in demand for fossil fuel amid sanctions on Russia.

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UN Secretary-General says electricity at Russian-held nuclear plant belongs to Ukraine