The Russian Defense Ministry today warned that in the event of an accident at a nuclear power plant in Zaporizhia, Ukraine, radioactive material would blanket Germany, Poland and Slovakia. Igor Kirillov, head of the Russian Armed Forces for Radioactive, Chemical and Biological Defense, said that the plant’s backup support systems were damaged as a result of the bombing and that several countries in Europe could be at risk in an accident.
The warning comes as tensions have risen over the status of the facility, with the fate of the facility the largest facility of its kind in Europe being discussed in talks between UN SecretaryGeneral Antonio Guterres and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after a meeting that is scheduled for Thursday afternoon (18).
The Russian government says it could shut down the nuclear power plant if Ukrainian forces keep bombing the facility. Ukraine denies bombing the factory, instead accusing Russia of endangering the facility because it stores ammunition and military equipment there.
The matter is causing concern in the international community. Ukraine and other countries have already warned of the possibility of a catastrophic accident at the plant. On Wednesday (17th), Ukraine’s Emergencies Ministry conducted a nuclear disaster drill in case of an accident in the city of Zaporizhia in southeastern Ukraine on the Dnipro River.
Zelenskyy last night said Ukrainian diplomats and nuclear scientists are in “constant contact” with the International Atomic Energy Agency and are working to station a team of inspectors at the facility, which has been occupied by Russian troops since the beginning of the war.
Tensions around the plant have escalated in recent weeks, as Ukraine accused Russia of using the facility as a shield and part of a “nuclear blackmail” strategy.
The risks associated with this issue point to the Possibility of an accident in Europe’s largest nuclear power plant. It’s a terrifying prospect for Ukraine, a country still living with the scars of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, which remains the worst nuclear accident in history and led to the spread of radioactive material across Europe.
“Probably more than any other country in the world, Ukraine is aware of the consequences of an explosion and fire at a nuclear power plant,” British think tank Chatham House said last week. However, the company points out that the reactors in Zaporizhzhzhia differ from those in Chernobyl, but an accident at the plant could have significant consequences for Ukraine.
NATO calls for an “urgent” inspection. The organization says it is “urgent” for the UN nuclear regulatory agency to conduct an inspection of Ukraine’s Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, which is under Russian military control, Atlantic Alliance SecretaryGeneral Jens Stoltenberg said yesterday.
“There is an urgent need to authorize an IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) inspection and ensure the withdrawal of all Russian forces from the site,” Stoltenberg said at a news conference in Brussels. The Russian occupation of the Zaporizhzha plant “poses a serious threat to the [e] increases the risk of a nuclear accident or incident,” she warned.
Ukraine and Russia blame each other for the attacks. The governments of Ukraine and Russia accuse each other of attacks on the nuclear power plant. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday accused Russia of nuclear “blackmail” and said in his daily televised address that Moscow was using the facility to “harass people in a very cynical way.”
“They organize constant provocations with bombings on the territory of the nuclear power plant and try to bring additional forces in this direction in order to blackmail our state and the entire free world,” he added.
He assured that Russian troops are “hiding” in the plant to bombard the cities of Nikopol and Marganets, which are under Ukrainian control.
Occupation authorities deployed by Russia, in turn, accused Kyiv of being behind the attacks.
“Enerhodar and the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant are under fire from militants [do presidente Volodimir] Zelenskyy,” Vladimir Rogov, a member of the proRussian military and civil administration, told Telegram.
The projectiles fell “in areas bordering the banks of the [rio] Dnieper and at the power plant,” Rogov said, without causing any casualties or damage. Since last week, the two countries have been accusing each other of being responsible for the bombings of the Zaporizhia power plant and stoking fears of a nuclear catastrophe.
The first attack, which took place on August 5, damaged a highvoltage electrical transformer and caused the automatic shutdown of reactor number 3 at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant.