There have been no casualties.
The complex was “attacked from all sides” by Russian ground forces, according to the Ukrainian foreign minister. For that reason, firefighters were initially unable to reach the fire. “Very dangerous,” UN nuclear watchdog IAEA reported. According to the local authorities, the situation is now “under control”.
The mayor of nearby Energodar, in southeastern Ukraine, was the first to report the fire in a video posted on Facebook. He said the fire started after an attack by Russian ground forces.
Zelensky: ‘Chernobyl repeat’
In a late night speech following the attack on the nuclear power plant, Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky lashed out at Russia. Vladimir Putin’s regime wants to “repeat Chernobyl,” according to Zelensky. He also accused the Russians of “nuclear terror.”
“No other country has ever shelled a nuclear power plant,” Zelenski said. “This is the first time in our history, the first time for humanity.” He speaks of a targeted attack by Russian tanks on the nuclear power plant.
In his speech, Zelensky emphasizes that the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986, which forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate and hundreds of thousands of lifelong consequences, was caused by the explosion of one reactor. “Zaporizhzhya has six reactors,” says Zelensky. According to him, the explosion of the nuclear power plant would therefore mean ‘the end of Europe’. He asks Europeans to “wake up” and call on their political leaders to act against Russian troops.
Flames and fire
Images verified by The New York Times show flames and fires around the nuclear power plant, but the paper writes that “it is unclear what causes these.” It is also unclear where exactly in the nuclear power plant the fire raged. Regional authorities report that radiation levels around the nuclear power plant are “normal”. US authorities also confirm, based on the available information, that no radioactive radiation was released.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitro Kuleba writes on Twitter that a possible explosion at the nuclear power plant “will be ten times bigger than Chernobyl”, the nuclear power plant that exploded in 1986 north of Kiev and has since been captured by Russian troops. “Russia must immediately stop the shelling and allow firefighters passage,” writes Koeleba.
US President Joe Biden called on Russian authorities to allow emergency services to access the nuclear power plant. He also asked Russian troops for a ceasefire in the area around the nuclear power plant.
Biden made the call after a telephone conversation with President Zelensky about the situation surrounding the nuclear power plant.
‘Serious danger’
UN nuclear watchdog IAEA wrote on Twitter that it is aware of the “shelling” around the nuclear power plant and that it is consulting with Ukrainian authorities. The institute warns of “serious danger” if the reactors in the plant are hit by rocket attacks. Earlier, IAEA called on Russian and Ukrainian troops not to fight in the area.
Zaporizhzhya is one of the four operational nuclear power plants of Ukraine. The plant consists of six nuclear reactors. The nuclear power plant is estimated to account for about 40 percent of Ukraine’s electricity supply.