Europe’s biggest nuclear plant is dangerously close to the Russia-Ukraine war.
With a “very serious risk of a nuclear disaster,” the UN’s nuclear inspector has demanded that all military operations close to Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear reactor cease immediately. The head of the IAEA, Rafael Mariano Grossi, expressed his “grave concern” about reports of shelling at the biggest nuclear power station in Europe. In the meantime, Ukraine said that Russian military strikes “significantly damaged” portions of the complex.
The factory was taken by Russia in March.
The owner of the Zaporizhzhia plant said that one “power unit” had to be shut down due to Russian missile strikes and warned of the possibility of radioactive leaks. Operator Enerhoatom stated on Telegram that the strikes “created a major danger for the safe running of the plant.”
Moscow claimed that the strike was committed by Ukraine.
Any bombing of this landmark, according to Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky, is a heinous crime and an act of terrorism. The facility is located in Enerhodar, which is a city in southeast Ukraine along the left bank of the Dnieper River (Dnipro in Ukrainian).
According to the UK Defense Ministry, Russia is utilizing the region to launch operations, benefiting from the nuclear power plant’s “protected status” to lessen the likelihood of midnight attacks by Ukrainian forces.
The Ukrainian military shelled the plant twice on Friday, according to the Russian-appointed officials in Enerhodar, “from the opposite bank of the Dnieper.” In their statement, the nationalists claimed that “the second time the nationalists managed to hit the target – shells landed in the plant’s industrial site.”
Russian state-run news agency Interfax cited the plant’s administration, which had been installed in Moscow, as reporting that two of the plant’s electrical lines had been struck by an artillery shot from Ukraine, starting a fire.
Any mishap at the power plant could have grave repercussions. A concern for the local citizens in Nikopol, which is just over the river and is still governed by Ukraine.
The number of electricity lines at the facility that is still in use is unknown, and the conflicting statements have not been independently verified. The facility is located in Enerhodar, which is a city in southeast Ukraine along the left bank of the Dnieper River (Dnipro in Ukrainian).
