New tension in the war between Russia and Ukraine. A fire broke out on the site of the Zaporija nuclear power plant (Ukraine) after Russian fire, during the night of Thursday March 3 to Friday March 4. “There is a real threat of nuclear danger in the largest atomic power plant in Europe”assured the spokesperson Andreï Touz in a video published on the Telegram account of this plant.
“Firefighters can’t reach the place of the fire and put it out. The shots are falling very close. The first electrical unit of the plant has already been hit. Stop it!”
Andrei Touzin a video posted on Telegram
A hearth is visible on CCTV images broadcast live from the administrative building of the nuclear power plant, said the spokesman, interviewed by Ukrainian television. The Ministry of Emergency Situations later confirmed that a fire broke out at 2:26 a.m. (1:26 a.m. in France) “in the building outside the nuclear plant”.
“The director of the plant has indicated that nuclear safety is now guaranteed. According to the managers of the plant, a building for training and a laboratory are affected by a fire”added on Facebook Oleksandre Staroukh, head of the military administration of the Zaporizhia region. The Ukrainian regulator informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that no changes in radiation levels had been detected.
#Ukraine regulator tells IAEA there has been no change reported in #radiation levels at the #Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant site.
— IAEA – International Atomic Energy Agency (@iaeaorg) March 4, 2022
Dimitro Orlov, the mayor of Enerhodar, explained for his part that Ukrainian forces were fighting Russian troops on the outskirts of the city. Earlier Thursday, Kyiv also told the IAEA that Russian tanks and infantry were near the town of Enerhodar, a few kilometers from the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant.
“Moscow resorts to nuclear terror”, denounced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in a video posted on his Telegram account. Earlier, his Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba, had urged the attackers to stop bombing the plant site. “If it explodes, it will be ten times bigger than Chernobyl! The Russians must cease fire IMMEDIATELY.”.
Russian army is firing from all sides upon Zaporizhzhia NPP, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. Fire has already broke 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!
— Dmytro 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 at Enerhodar and near the plant. He said the IAEA continues to consult with Kyiv and other actors to provide assistance and ensure the security of Ukrainian nuclear sites.
Launched in 1985, during the USSR, the Zaporijjia nuclear power plant has six reactors and provides a large part of the country’s energy. On February 24, fighting had already taken place near the former Chernobyl power plant, the site of the worst nuclear accident in history about a hundred kilometers north of Kiev, and which is now in the hands of Russian troops.