After Russian attack: fire in Zaporizhia nuclear plant extinguished
According to Ukrainian sources, Russian troops fired on the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant during the night. A fire broke out on the premises, which has now apparently been extinguished. According to the IAEA, there should be no increased radioactive levels. According to Ukrainian information, the Russian army attacked Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in Zaporizhia, Ukraine, and caused a fire there. According to the authorities, fire broke out in a building used for training purposes during the night, the reactor blocks were not affected.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of “nuclear terrorism”. Apparently Russia wants to “repeat the Chernobyl nuclear disaster”: “If there is an explosion, it will be the end of everything. The end of Europe,” Zelenskyj warned. He accused the Russian army of targeting the power plant: “These are tanks equipped with thermal imaging cameras, so they know what they’re shooting at.” No other country in the world has ever shelled nuclear facilities, he said in a video message.
Plant apparently under the control of Russian troops
Video images from a live web feed showed explosions and plumes of smoke over the Zaporizhia nuclear facility. According to the fire brigade, Russian soldiers did not initially let the fire-fighting squads through to the scene of the fire. Firefighters only gained access after hours and were able to extinguish the fire. The city’s mayor and emergency services confirmed the fire had been extinguished. Russian troops have taken control of the facility, a regional authority said. Nuclear power plant personnel ensure safe operation.
Local officials had previously reported bombing raids on the nuclear facility, and the nuclear power plant was being fired upon with heavy artillery. A block of the power plant was hit and there was a fire in the plant, said the spokesman for the nuclear power plant, Andriy Tuz, in a video published on Telegram. Although the reactor that was hit is being renovated and is not in operation, it does contain nuclear fuel.IAEA: No increased radioactivityThe International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) stated that, according to the Ukrainian government, no increased radioactivity had been measured in the vicinity of the plant Staff have taken “measures to minimize risk”. US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm wrote on Twitter that the plant’s reactors would be “safely shut down”.
Demand for NATO support
Ukrainian Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko called on NATO to intervene. In view of the attack on the nuclear power plant, they demand “not just a professional assessment of what is happening, but real intervention with the toughest measures, including by NATO and the countries that have nuclear weapons,” Halushchenko wrote on Facebook. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba demanded stop the attacks immediately. “If it explodes, it will be 10 times bigger than Chernobyl! Russians must stop firing immediately,” he wrote on Twitter.
Last week there had been fighting near the Chernobyl reactor, where the worst nuclear accident in history happened in 1986. The nuclear ruin is now controlled by Russian troops. Beaune: EU must stand firm France’s Minister for European Affairs, Clement Beaune, said the European Union must stand firm in the face of increasing Russian attacks in Ukraine. It is still too early to assess the consequences of a fire that broke out near the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. “You can see that the attacks are increasing, which is extremely worrying and serious,” Beaune said. jeopardize “the security of all of Europe.” Johnson’s office said the prime minister and Zelenskyy agreed that Russia must stop the attacks immediately, allow emergency services unrestricted access to the nuclear facility, and that a ceasefire is essential.
