Bogus e-mail messages on June 15 said that there had been alleged radioactive leaks at the Leningrad nuclear power station, in northwest Russia, and the Volgodonsk nuclear power plant, in the south of the country, a spokesman for the company said.

"In fact, all nuclear power stations in Russia are operating in completely normal regimes. The background radiation is within the natural levels for the environment," the spokesman said.

The spokesman called the messages a provocation aimed at distributing gossip about an alleged accident.

The Leningrad NPP, located 80 km west of St. Petersburg, has four 1,000 MW units with graphite-moderated reactors. The first unit has been undergoing repairs since May 23.

The Volgodonsk NPP, situated some 1,000 km (621 miles) south of Moscow and has one pressurized water reactor, started operation in 2001.

Last month, several Internet forums carried reports of radioactive emissions from the Leningrad NPP near St. Petersburg, and of a planned evacuation of local residents. Several days later hackers attacked Russian nuclear power websites allowing users to check radiation levels.

In 2007, after similar false reports of an accident at the Volgodonsk nuclear plant, several dozen people, believing they could have been affected by radiation, consumed large amounts of iodine and fell ill with iodine poisoning.

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