Russia has taken control of a nuclear power station in Ukraine after it was hit with bomb-shelling.
A fire broke out at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, which is the largest in Europe, and Ukraine said it was shelled by Russian troops. Authorities say the facility is now safe and radiation levels are normal.
World leaders have accused Russia of endangering the safety of an entire continent, and Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, accused Russia of “nuclear terror”.
US President, Joe Biden, urged Moscow to stop its military activities around the site, while Canada’s Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau also said the “horrific attacks” from Russia “must cease immediately”.
UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, said the “reckless” attack could “directly threaten the safety of all of Europe”.
All three leaders spoke to Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy by phone. Meanwhile, Mr. Zelenskyy said Russia wants a repeat of Chernobyl, the site of the world’s worst nuclear disaster in 1986.
“If there is an explosion, it is the end of everything. The end of Europe.”
Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Russia’s Defence Ministry blamed the attack on Ukrainian saboteurs, calling it a “monstrous provocation” without providing evidence.
A video feed from the nuclear plant showed blasts lighting up the night sky and sending up plumes of smoke. According to Ukraine’s nuclear inspectorate, buildings around one of the plant’s six power units have been damaged without affecting its safety.
Workers at the plant said the fire, which has since been extinguished, broke out at a training building outside the plant’s perimeter. They added that only one of the plant’s six reactors was operational.
One resident, Kirill Dovzhik, who lives nearby disclosed that he saw the Russian military attacking the site. “It is just terrorism… It is worrying not just for our region, but for Ukraine and for the world.”
The United Nations’ (UN) nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said the fire had not affected the plant’s “essential” equipment and there was no increase in radiation levels.
But the IAEA said it was in “full 24/7 response mode” due to the “serious situation” at the power station.
Ukrainian emergency services said they were initially blocked from getting to the scene of the blaze, prompting President Biden to publicly call on Russia to allow firefighters into the site.
Boris Johnson also disclosed that he would seek an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on Friday, March 4, 2022, over the attack.
Experts View On the Attack
Experts said attacking a nuclear plant was unprecedented, and the situation was still very dangerous.
Dr. Graham Allison, a Nuclear Security Expert at Harvard University, disclosed that the “worst case” would be if a fire at the plant caused a meltdown and prompted a release of radioactivity that will contaminate the surrounding area for years. However, he said it was more likely Russian forces were trying to “close down the supply of electricity to the surrounding area”, rather than attack the plant.
The Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant is located around 550km (342 miles) south-east of the capital, Kyiv, and it generates almost a quarter of all electricity in Ukraine. It lies on the river Dnieper, north-east of the city of Kherson, which is said to be occupied by Russian forces.
The Russian military also seized control of the Chernobyl nuclear plant, the site where the worst nuclear disaster in history took place. As a result, news of the latest incident at Zaporizhzhia caused share prices in Asia to fall sharply.
Current Happenings and Plans Ahead
Authorities have intimated that more than one million people have fled Ukraine since the invasion began last week Thursday, February 24, 2022.
Despite the international sanctions, Russia’s President, Vladimir Putin, said his offensive was going “strictly according to schedule, according to plan”.
Additionally, Mr. Putin has placed his nuclear forces on high alert as a result of “aggressive statements” by the West.
Western Ministers are also expected to hold crisis talks in Brussels on Friday, March 4, 2022, as they seek to show their support for Ukraine.
UK Foreign Secretary, Liz Truss, called it “one of the biggest days of diplomacy” with allies prepared to “tighten the vice around Putin’s war machine” by targeting the Russian economy with more sanctions.
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