Kiev, Aug 5 (IANS): Russian forces at Europe's largest nuclear power plant in Ukraine are employing "terror tactics" by using the site to launch rocket attacks on civilians, media reports said.

Russia controls the Zaporizhzhia plant and surrounding areas, close to Ukrainian-held territory. Western officials have sounded the alarm about Russia's tactics there, BBC reported.

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant lies in the south-east of Ukraine along the eastern bank of the Dnipro river. It is currently still being operated by Ukrainian employees under Russian supervision. It consists of six pressurised water reactors and stores radioactive waste.

In its daily intelligence update, the UK defence ministry said Russia was using the area to launch attacks - taking advantage of the "protected status" of the nuclear power plant to reduce the risk of overnight attacks from Ukrainian forces, BBC reported.

The head of the UN's nuclear agency, Rafael Grossi, warned this week that the plant was "completely out of control". Any accident at the power station could have catastrophic consequences.

Ukraine has previously said that Russian forces have stationed troops and are storing military equipment on the power station's grounds.

"Every morning we wake up and see that they have hit only residential homes," a local businessman told the BBC.