Three strikes were reported in 24 hours near a nuclear reactor, according to the Ukrainian national operator. Moscow blames the Ukrainian armed forces in return.
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kyiv accuses the Russian army of having carried out artillery strikes near the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe, under Russian occupation since the start of the war. “The high voltage power supply line” was damaged, says a press release (in Ukrainian) from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Friday 5 August. “The possible consequences of an impact on an operating reactor are equivalent to the use of an atomic bomb.”
“Three strikes were reported on Friday evening near one of the nuclear reactors”announced, for its part, the Ukrainian state company Energoatom, which manages the country’s nuclear power plants. “There are risks of hydrogen leakage and spraying of radioactive substances. The danger of fire is high”, according to the same source, which did not report any casualties at first. Still according to the Ukrainian operator, the managers of the Russian company Rosatom “hastily left the site before the attack”.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry once again calls on the international community to take “immediate measures to force Russia out of the plant”and transfer it “under the control of Ukraine in the interest of the security of the whole world”. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Tuesday that the situation was “volatile” at the Zaporizhia power plant. “more and more dangerous every day”.
The Russian army Moscow, for its part, affirms that “Ukrainian shells” damaged a hydrogen pipe at the plant, causing a fire that was quickly brought under control. “Fortunately, the Ukrainian shells did not target a nearby oxygen plant, preventing a larger fire from breaking out and a radioactive accident from occurring”, assures the press release. The Russian army also evokes a blackout and a disruption of the water supply.