Zaporizhzhia, Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, was attacked by the Russian forces on Friday, igniting a fire at the nuclear power plant, then later occupied by the Russian forces as reported in Ukraine.
On the 9th day of the invasion, this act by Russia is bound to hit Ukraine hard. The Russian shelling had hit a training complex, setting the place on fire but according to Ukrainian authorities, it was extinguished by the emergency services, also stressing that there were no casualties.
The report to IAEA from Ukraine said that no essential equipment had been affected, and hence no radiation leak was reported, as the radiation levels remained the same.
The IAEA reported that the affected part of the building of the nuclear power plant is not a part of the reactor. At the blatant and injudicious act of Russian forces, the IAEA raised an alarm and called for an immediate halt at the use of force.
The plant provides around a quarter of Ukraine’s power generation.
The Ukraine President said that Russia is the first terrorist state to resort to nuclear terror by opening fire at a nuclear power unit.
The IAEA Director-General Grossi stated that he is extremely concerned about what happened at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant during the night, stressing that it is a violation of fundamental principles to fire shells on a nuclear site. He said that the physical integrity of nuclear facilities is to be maintained and kept safe at all times.