Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in Southern Ukraine caught fire after enduring endless attacks by Russia troops on Friday morning, 4 March 2022.
A spokesperson for the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) is quoted as having told various media outlets that it had not sustained any critical damage in the attack, despite firefighters being blocked by Russian troops when they first arrived at the scene.
There are now concerns over Ukraine’s nuclear power facilities, particularly as Russia shows no signs of backing down. Experts are alarmed by the potential damage caused by the fire at the plant, but it is too early to tell at this stage.
AFP shared a clip of the fire on its Twitter page.
VIDEO: Ukraine nuclear plant on fire after Russian shelling.
Europe's largest nuclear power plant was on fire Friday after the station came under fire from invading Russian forces, with Ukraine's foreign minister demanding an immediate ceasefire at the site to avoid disaster pic.twitter.com/AkVuT9dizu
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) March 4, 2022
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UKRAINE OFFICIALS CONDEMN ATTACK AT NUCLEAR POWER PLANT
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba has warned on Twitter that should the nuclear plant blow up, “it will be 10 times larger than Chornobyl.”
In 1986, there was an accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, near the city of Pripyat in the north of the Ukrainian SSR in the Soviet Union. It is considered the worst nuclear disaster in the world’s entire history.
“Russian army is firing from all sides upon Zaporizhzhia NPP, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. Fire has already broken out. If it blows up, it will be 10 times larger than Chornobyl! Russians must IMMEDIATELY cease the fire, allow firefighters, establish a security zone,” Kuleba tweeted.
The White House wrote that US President Joe Biden “joined President Zelenskyy in urging Russia to cease its military activities in the area and allow firefighters and emergency responders to access the site.”
The White House added that Biden “also spoke this evening with Under Secretary for Nuclear Security of the US Department of Energy and Administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration to receive an update on the situation at the plant. The President will continue to be briefed regularly.”
Artmotion S.Africa
