On Friday, the Russian military moved again towards a nuclear power plant in Ukraine.
US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield
Linda Thomas-GreenfieldEnergy & Environment – Russia’s Takeover Raises Nuclear Alarm Russian Attack Rekindles Nuclear Alarm Overnight Defense and National Security: Ukrainian Nuclear Plant Attack Raises Rumble Yuzhnoukrainsk, according to Fox News.
The report came just a day after Russian troops attacked Ukraine’s largest nuclear facility, the news outlet notes.
Thomas-Greenfield warned during an emergency meeting on Friday that the Yuzhnoukrainsk nuclear power plant was in “imminent danger.”
“Russian forces are now 20 miles away and approaching Ukraine’s second largest nuclear facility,” she said. “So this imminent danger continues.”
Earlier in the meeting, Thomas-Greenfield signaled that Russia’s focus on nuclear power plants could create problems for Ukraine.
“Nuclear facilities cannot become part of this conflict,” Thomas-Greenfield said, according to Fox News. “A reliable power supply is vital to a nuclear plant, as are standby diesel generators and fuel. Safe transit corridors must be maintained. Russia must stop any further use of force that could jeopardize all 15 operational reactors across Ukraine, or Ukraine’s ability to maintain the safety of its 37 nuclear facilities and their surrounding populations.”
Earlier, Russia seized the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, forcing its employees to work at gunpoint. Earlier this week, fighting also took place near Ukraine’s decommissioned Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
Thomas-Greenfield denounced earlier attacks on nuclear sites as “reckless and dangerous”.
“The Russian attack last night put Europe’s largest nuclear power at serious risk. It was incredibly reckless and dangerous. And it threatened the safety of civilians throughout Russia, Ukraine and Europe,” she said at the time.