A screen grab taken from a surveillance camera footage the Zaporizhzhya NPP.Photo: Zaporizhzhya NPP/HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, located in the southern-central region of Ukraine, has fallen under Russian control as theinvasion of the country continues to intensify.
“Ukrainian counterparts informed the IAEA that a projectile overnight had hit a training building in the vicinity of one of the plant’s reactor units, causing a localized fire that was later extinguished,” the statement also said.
According to aCNNreport, Russian forces even held station management workers at gunpoint. “[Russian solders] entered the territory of the nuclear power plant, took control of the personnel and management of the nuclear power plant,” the outlet reported.
While the overall safety of the plant’s six nuclear reactors had not been affected and there was no release of radioactive material, according to the IAEA, Grossi said he was “extremely concerned about the situation at the Zaporizhzhia NPP.”
File: Olexander Prokopenko/AP/Shutterstock
He added, “Firing shells in the area of a nuclear power plant violates the fundamental principle that the physical integrity of nuclear facilities must be maintained and kept safe at all time.”
The U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said the attack reflected a “dangerous new escalation” in Russia’s invasion,Reutersreports.
During an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting, she warned that “imminent danger” remained in spite of the plant currently being deemed safe, and demanded assurances from Russia that such an attack will not happen again.
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“By the grace of God, the world narrowly averted a nuclear catastrophe last night,” Thomas-Greenfieldtweetedon Friday. “Russia must halt any use of force that might put at further risk all 15 operable reactors across Ukraine – nuclear facilities cannot become part of this conflict.”
Russia’sattack on Ukrainecontinues after their forces launched a large-scale invasion on Feb. 24 — the first major land conflict in Europe in decades.
With NATO forces massing in the region around Ukraine, various countries have also pledged aid or military support to the resistance. Ukrainian PresidentVolodymyr Zelenskyycalled for peace talks — so far unsuccessful — while urging his country to fight back.
Putin insists Ukraine has historic ties to Russia and he is acting in the best security interests of his country. Zelenskyy vowed not to bend.
“Nobody is going to break us, we’re strong, we’re Ukrainians,“he told the European Unionin a speech in the early days of the fighting, adding, “Life will win over death. And light will win over darkness.”
source: people.com
