Video shows Russian official trying to convince nuclear inspectors a rocket turned 180 degrees before landing near Ukraine's nuclear plant

• Ukraine and Russia are blaming each other for strikes near Europe's largest nuclear power plant.
• A Russian official reportedly told nuclear inspectors a missile had turned 180 degrees before landing nearby.

A Russian envoy tried to convince UN-linked nuclear inspectors that a missile that landed near Ukraine's major power plant had rotated 180 degrees before landing, and therefore could not have come from Russian forces, reports say.

Video footage shows a man speaking to International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors at Zaporizhzhia plant with remains of a shell in front of them.

According to a translation by The Telegraph, he said while gesturing to the missile: "It fled from here and this is the direction of Nikopol. It did a U-turn. In principle, it landed and spun around." Nikopol is a city in southern Ukraine.

The video shows him gesturing at the missile and turning his hands to demonstrate a 180-degree rotation.

Watch the video here, from freelance journalist Mac William Bishop:

Bishop and The Telegraph identified the man speaking in the footage as Renat Karchaa, a Russian nuclear expert. The Telegraph reported that Karchaa advises Rosatom, a Russian state-owned nuclear company. Insider could not independently verify his identity.

Russia's state-run Tass news agency also reported that Karchaa had escorted the IAEA delegation on the Zaporizhzhia visit.

Ukrainian Energy Minister Herman Gluschenko said on Facebook on Friday that Karchaa was acting as a tour guide and giving misinformation to the IAEA, but did not specify what Karchaa said. He also announced sanctions against Karchaa.

The Telegraph described the exchange about the missile caught on video as "an attempt to convince them it had not been fired from Russian-held territory."

The IAEA did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Shelling at the plant

IAEA chief Rafael Mariano Grossi said he and his colleagues were visiting Zaporizhzhia to "prevent a nuclear accident" after repeated shelling near the plant. Russia captured the plant in March and has been controlling it since.

The visit last week was delayed by several hours due to shelling near the plant.

Russia and Ukraine blame each other for the shelling.

Western intelligence accused Russia of using the plant's protected status as a shield, leaving Ukrainian forces reluctant to attack it.

Grossi said on Thursday that the inspection had shown it was "obvious that the plant and physical integrity of the plant has been violated several times."