New tensions in the war between Russia and Ukraine. A fire broke out at the site of a nuclear power plant in Zaporizhia (Ukraine) after a Russian fire on the night of Thursday, March 3 against Friday, March 4. “There is a real threat of nuclear danger at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant,” spokesman Andrei Tuz said in a video posted on the plant’s Telegram profile.
“Firefighters could not reach the scene of the fire and put it out. The shots fell very close. The first power unit of the plant has already been hit. Stop!”
Andrey Tuz
in a video published in the Telegram
A hearth can be seen in video surveillance images broadcast live from the administrative building of the nuclear power plant, said a spokesman interviewed by Ukrainian television. The Ministry of Emergency Situations later confirmed that the fire broke out at 2:26 am (1:26 am in France) “in the building outside the nuclear power plant”.
“The director of the plant pointed out that nuclear safety is already guaranteed. According to the plant’s managers, the fire affected a training building and a laboratory,” Alexander Starukh, head of the administration, added on Facebook. Zaporozhye region. The Ukrainian regulator informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that no changes in radiation levels were found.
# Ukraine The regulator tells the IAEA that no change has been reported #radiation levels of # Zaporozhye Nuclear power plant site.
– IAEA – International Atomic Energy Agency (@iaeaorg) March 4, 2022
Dimitrov Orlov, the mayor of Enerhodar, explained that Ukrainian forces were fighting Russian troops on the outskirts of the city. Earlier on Thursday, Kyiv also told the IAEA that Russian tanks and infantry were located near the town of Enerhodar, a few kilometers from the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant.
“Moscow is using nuclear terror,” Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky denounced in a video posted on his Telegram profile. Earlier, his foreign minister, Dmitry Kuleba, called on the attackers to stop bombing the plant. “If it explodes, it will be ten times bigger than Chernobyl!” The Russians must stop the fire IMMEDIATELY. ”
The Russian army is shelling the Zaporozhye NPP, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, on all sides. The fire has already broken out. If it explodes, it will be 10 times bigger than Chernobyl! The Russians must stop the fire IMMEDIATELY, allow firefighters, create a security zone!
– Dmitry Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) March 4, 2022
In a statement Thursday, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi called for an immediate end to all use of force in Enerhodar and near the plant. He said the IAEA continues to consult with Kyiv and other actors to help and ensure the security of Ukraine’s nuclear facilities.
Launched in 1985, during the Soviet era, the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant has six reactors and provides much of the country’s energy. On February 24, fighting broke out near the former Chernobyl power plant, the site of the worst nuclear accident in history, about a hundred kilometers north of Kyiv and now in the hands of Russian troops.