Russia Seizes Europe's Largest Nuclear Power Plant

Alt: = "Ukraine nuclear power plant seized by Russian forces"

Russian forces have taken over control of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in Ukraine on Friday after a battle with Ukrainian troops that caused a fire and fears of a catastrophic accident.

The Ukrainian nuclear regulator has announced that the fire had been put off and no radiation leak had been detected, with site staff still able to work at the Zaporizhzhia site.

“The Zaporizhzhia NPP site has been seized by the military forces of the Russian Federation,” the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine said, in a statement.

“The fire was extinguished by the Ukrainian State Emergency Service units. Information on the dead and injured is absent.”

Russian invasion forces had engaged in a fierce battle with Ukrainian defending forces as Russia  pushed towards the city of Zaporizhzhia, causing a blaze at the plant and global alarm.

The power station is located in southern Ukraine on the Dnipro river and produces a fifth of Ukraine’s electricity.

Ukraine’s nuclear facilities have been a major point of concern since Russian invasion of the country last week and had continued bombarding cities with shells and missiles.

Fire from the power plant of such magnitude of is capable of cause harm to almost entire Europe

This also calls to memory the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, in same Ukraine, which left hundreds dead and spread radioactive contamination west across Europe.

There are 6 reactors at Zaporizhzhia, the agency said, one is in operation and producing power, one has been turned off and four are being cooled to prevent overheating, as onsite inspection is ongoing at the site by Ukrainian staff

The regulator did not say, however, what each reactor’s status had been before the fire.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Moscow of resorting to “nuclear terror” by risking a repeat of the Chernobyl disaster and begged world leaders to back Kyiv.

“No country other than Russia has ever fired on nuclear power units,” he said in a video message released by his office.

“This is the first time in our history. In the history of mankind. The terrorist state now resorted to nuclear terror.”

Zelensky alleged that the Russian troops had knowingly fired on the nuclear facility.

“These are tanks equipped with thermal imagers, so they know where they are shooting,” said Zelensky.

AFP


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