A UKRAINIAN intelligence leader has claimed plans for Russia to blow up the largest nuclear power plant in Europe have already been approved.

       Kyrylo Budanov's chilling warning about the Zaporizhzhia plant comes as tensions between Russia and Ukraine heightened following an attempted coup in Moscow.

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       The power plant has sparked worry following the destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam Credit: AP 8

       Defence Intelligence Major-General Kyrylo Budanov has raised the alarm Credit: Not known, clear with picture desk 8

       Zelensky has warned about the dangers faced by the world while Russia has the plant under its control Credit: Getty 8

       If disaster strikes, a nuclear cloud could waft over much of Europe and Asia

       Budanov has claimed the cooling pond of the nuclear plant has been mined by Russian troops who occupy the area.

       The spymaster said the plan is “drafted and approved”, and only needs an order to unfold.

       He warned: “Then it can happen in a matter of minutes.”

       And the intelligence director fears Russia would raise the voltage in the plant.

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       If the cooling mechanisms were destroyed, nuclear disaster could unfold in as little as ten hours.

       Budanov told The New Statesman: "Technical means could be used to speed up the catastrophe."

       Zelensky met with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau this evening via phone and discussed the mutiny in Russia as well as the developing situation in Zaporizhzhia.

       Zelensky said: "I drew the Prime Minister’s attention to the dangerous situation the occupation forces have created at the Zaporizhzhia NPP.

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       "The lack of a global response to Russia blowing up the dam at the Kakhovka HPP and to its attempt to blow up the dam at the Kryvyi Rih reservoir have enabled the occupation forces to prepare a terrorist attack [that might result in] a radiation leak at the ZNPP."

       Last week, Zelensky raised the alarm: "Intelligence services have received information that Russia is considering the scenario of a terrorist act at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant - a terrorist act with the release of radiation.

       "They have prepared everything for this."

       Europe's biggest nuclear power plant has been under Russian occupation since the beginning of the war in March last year.

       Zelensky continued: "Unfortunately, I have had to remind (people) more than once that radiation knows no state borders. And who it will hit is determined only by the direction of the wind..."

       The nuke plant has been shelled multiple times since the invasion sparking fears it could trigger a nuclear disaster.

       A power outage at Zaporizhzhia last month raised concerns about a radiation leak with both sides blaming the other for the attack.

       Ukraine's state-owned power generating company Energoatom said the outage was due to Russian shelling overnight of an external power line.

       Earlier this month a key hydroelectric dam that provides water to help cool the power plant blew up and collapsed causing a massive flood in the area.

       Experts warned of catastrophic consequences if the collapse of Nova Kakhovka interfered with the plant’s essential water or power supplies.

       The plant has six nuclear reactors - five in cold shutdown and one in hot shutdown - and is currently being run by a skeleton crew.

       Energoatom chief Petro Kotin said the fall in the levels of the Kakhovka reservoir would not affect the level of water in cooling ponds at the facility's spent nuclear fuel storage pools.

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       However, the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency warned that a prolonged absence of cooling water at the plant would disrupt the work of its emergency diesel generators.

       The Russian leader was branded a “lunatic” for essentially turning the dam into a makeshift nuclear bomb.

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       Trucks with the Russian war symbol 'Z' have been a staple at the plant since its takeover Credit: AFP 8

       The Russian-controlled plant could spark catastrophe if given the okay to mine the cooler Credit: AFP 8

       Workers formerly reported feeling intimidated by Russian soldiers stationed at the plant Credit: Reuters 8

       The reservoir from the Khakhovka Dam is empty following the shelling Credit: Reuters