On Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged European leaders to "wake up" as the continent's largest nuclear power facility, Zaporizhzhia, caught fire, while also calling for "immediate action" against Russia. According to media, the President declared in a video uploaded on Twitter that "the biggest nuclear power plant in Europe is on fire right now" and accused Russian forces of purposefully shooting at the complex's six reactors with tanks equipped with thermal imaging.
Invoking the 1986 Chernobyl "global catastrophe," he warned that the effects of a meltdown at Zaporizhzhia would be even worse. "Please, Europeans, wake up. Inform your elected officials that Russian forces are firing at a nuclear power facility in Ukraine "he said
Zelensky went on to say that he has spoken with leaders from the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Germany, and Poland, as well as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), but that regular folks should also express concerns with their own lawmakers.
"Russian propaganda has already warned that nuclear ash will blanket the world. This isn't simply a warning; it's a serious threat." Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine's foreign minister, warned earlier on Friday that if the nuclear plant went up as a result of the fire, the catastrophe would be "ten times larger" than the Chernobyl disaster.
According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), radiation levels at the plant site have not changed as a result of the incident, citing Ukrainian officials. The IAEA also stated that "critical" equipment was undamaged by the fire, adding that staff on the nuclear power aircraft were "taking precautionary actions."The international nuclear authority also stated that it is talking with Ukraine "and others" in order to give "the maximum possible help to the country as it seeks to maintain nuclear safety and security in the current difficult circumstances."
However, in view of the "serious situation" at the facility, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi has warned Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmygal, as well as the country's nuclear regulator and operator, of the grave threat that the reactors might face if the Russian firing continues.
Ukraine now has four operational nuclear power reactors, including Zaporizhzhia, which supposedly generates 25% of the country's electricity, according to media reports. It also deals with nuclear waste at places like as Chernobyl, which is now controlled by Russia. The new developments come on the ninth day of Russia's military offensive on Ukraine.
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