The Zaporijia power plant in central Ukraine was hit on the night of March 3-4 by Russian strikes. A fire broke out, before being extinguished on Friday morning. Despite the attack, levels of radioactivity remain unchanged, authorities said. “JI followed the situation until 4 a.m. and I am still very worried”explains Pavlo, 42, a director in Kiev. Like many inhabitants of the capital, the announcement of the attack on the Zaporijia power plant terrified him.
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“I don’t have iodine tablets at home. With my friends, we try to get some”, continues Pavlo. “When I arrived in Kiev, I said to them: what could we do in the event of a nuclear threat? How to escape? How to protect yourself?’ Because it can happen.” The Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986 is in everyone’s memory. Larissa, a resident of the city center, went out for a few minutes of fresh air. “We heard the news this morning when we woke up. It could have been a huge disaster, worse than Chernobyl.”
“Obviously I’m very scared, but I think everyone should be scared, including the rest of the world. We need to increase controls and guarantee the safety of the plant. Otherwise, everyone could die.”
Larissa, a resident of Kievat franceinfo
There is the fear of a nuclear accident, but also the fear of seeing Russia eventually control all of Ukraine’s electricity production. The plant targeted by fire represents a fifth of the country’s consumption. “Of course I’m worriedadds a Kyiv resident, we could find ourselves without electricity, without light or without heating. It’s a prospect that frightens me. He’s going to use this nuclear plant as leverage to get our government to surrender and I hope he never does.”
Day after day, the Russian army tightens the noose on its Ukrainian neighbor and awakens the worst nightmares.