On the 9th day of the war in Ukraine, Russia bombed Europe’s largest nuclear power plant on Thursday night. The shots sparked a fire at a power plant in Zaporizhia, central Ukraine. But the security of the plant, invested by the Russians, is “guaranteed”, the director of the site assures. And Ukrainian emergency services said shortly before 6 a.m. that the fire was “off“. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has condemned Russia’s “nuclear terror” and called for “stronger” sanctions against Moscow. The French nuclear safety authority (ASN) activated its emergency center on Friday in “active standby” mode.
Power plant fire “extinguished”
“The fire was extinguished at 4:20 a.m. (French time),” the Ukrainian emergency service said on its Facebook account. The flames did not reach the sensitive areas, they were transferred to an administrative building and a laboratory. Russian troops temporarily prevented firefighters from reaching the site but Ukrainian firefighters finally managed to enter the plant and put out the disturbing fire.
Moscow is using nuclear “terror,” the Ukrainian president said
Surveillance camera image showing the impact of a Russian shot near the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, Ukraine, March 4, 2022. © AFP – ZAPORIZHZNA NUCLEAR AUTHORITYMoscow has resorted to “nuclear terror”, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky immediately condemned. He accuses the Russians of wanting “repeat“Chernobyl. The worst nuclear accident in history in 1986 is in everyone’s mind. An explosion at a power plant in Zaporozhye in southern Ukraine would be the equivalent of six Chernobyls, President Zelensky said, again urging Europe to intervene to stop the Russian army. The Ukrainian president is also calling for “tougher” sanctions against Moscow after the bombings. This Friday morning, NATO condemned the act and condemned Russia’s “irresponsible” bombings.
Fighting was already taking place on February 24 near the former Chernobyl power plant, about 100 kilometers north of Kyiv, which is now in the hands of Russian troops. The country has 15 nuclear reactors in operation divided into four power plants.
“No increase in radioactivity”
The French nuclear safety authority (ASN) activated its emergency center on Friday in “active standby” mode after Russia’s nightly strikes on a nuclear power plant. According to ASN, this active monitoring work allows him to “intervene in the support and advice of public authorities and prepare for crisis management, while ensuring the mission of informing the public.”
In franceinfo this Friday morning, the Minister of Ecological Transition Barbara Pompili wanted to reassure: “No there is no increase in radioactivity around, which is reassuring, a priori nothing has been touched in the factory, which can be problematic. ”
The fire “has been stopped. It has not affected a reactor, but an extension”, according to “information provided by the Ukrainian authorities to the International Atomic Energy Agency”, the minister continued.
It is absolutely necessary to commit to de-escalation
France, through the voice of Barbara Pompili, begs to avoid battles over Ukraine’s nuclear power plants: “We are on sensitive sites and all the messages we send to protect these places are very important. We absolutely need to be committed to de-escalation. These areas are sensitive, even if nuclear power plants are protected and very resilient. We can’t guarantee anything, so we have to avoid shooting around the headquarters and at the headquarters. ”
There are real dangers. We cannot ignore it.
At the same time, the Independent Research Commission on Radioactivity (Criirad), based in Valence (Drom), ensures that even if the reactors are intact, they could be weakened : “There are many sensitive points in a nuclear power plant – without necessarily reaching the reactor building – and which at different levels can lead to what is called a disaster,” Roland Desbord told France Bleu Drôme Ardèche in a speech at the door. Criirad, confirming that “there are real dangers. We cannot ignore it.”
Ukraine: the nuclear power plant in Zaporijjia © Visactu – VisactuBoris Johnson calls for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council
Thursday night Vladimir Putin was more inflexible than ever on Russian television, saying his invasion was “going according to plan”. The Elysee edition had many alarming words: “The worst is yet to come,” given that the Russian president’s goal is to invade all of Ukraine. This Friday morning, Prime Minister Boris Johnson called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council.
In addition, Russian President Vladimir Putin said this Friday in an interview with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz that a peace dialogue with Ukraine is possible only if “all Russian demands” are accepted.
The Russian president reiterated his demands for a “neutral and non-nuclear” status of Ukraine, its “mandatory demilitarization” and its “denazification”, recognition of Russia’s annexation of the Crimean peninsula and “sovereignty” of pro-Russian separatist regions in eastern Ukraine, Donetsk and Lugansk, in their administrative territories, while the rebels currently control only a third of them.
He said he “hopes Kyiv representatives will take a sensible and constructive stance during the third round of talks” scheduled by Kyiv this weekend.
New calls this weekend?
After a second round of talks culminating in the creation of “humanitarian corridors” for the evacuation of civilians, Ukraine is counting on a third round of talks with Russia this weekend, one of Ukraine’s negotiators, Mikhail Podoliak, said on Friday. “The third stage may take place tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, we are in constant contact,” he told a news conference in Lviv, western Ukraine, adding that Ukrainians were waiting for the Russians to agree to return to the negotiating table.
“1900 Ukrainians arrived in France”
“1,900 Ukrainians have arrived in France,” French President Urben and Toulouse Mayor Jean-Luc Moudenk told France Bleu Occitanie this Friday at a meeting at the Interior Ministry as a representative of the metropolises. and big cities. “These are mostly people who have a family, many women with children who come up with the idea of returning to the country as soon as possible,” he added. During this meeting at the Ministry of the Interior this Friday, “it was written that the reception will be centralized by the prefectures of the departments,” said Jean-Luc Mudenck.
also read MAP – The war in Ukraine: where and how to help near you?
Michelin and Microsoft are withdrawing from Russia
The US computer giant Microsoft announced on Friday that it is suspending all new sales of its products and services in Russia, joining a long list of companies that are withdrawing from the country, at least temporarily, after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“Like the rest of the world, we are appalled, outraged and saddened by the images and information that have come to us since the war in Ukraine, and condemn this unjustified, unprovoked and illegal invasion of Russia,” said Brad Smith, Microsoft’s president in the press. release. on French gastronomic guide Michelin also decided to suspend its activities in Russia due to the war in Ukraine.
read also War in Ukraine: updating European sanctions in the face of the Russian invasion