Ukraine and Russia blame each other for what is happening at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, with the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Mariano Grossi, sounding the alarm and calling for an end to hostilities in this particularly sensitive area of Ukraine.
It is worth noting that the international media in their reports, such as CNN, confirm that the bombing near the nuclear power plant continues, with the result that there is a real risk of a nuclear catastrophe. Mr. Grossi informed that the bombings have caused the shutdown of one of the reactors.
"I am extremely concerned about the bombing of Europe's largest nuclear power plant, which highlights the very real risk of a nuclear disaster that could threaten public health and the environment in Ukraine and (regions) beyond," the IAEA Director General stresses in his statement.
Grossi calls on all sides in the Ukrainian conflict to show the "utmost restraint" in the vicinity of the nuclear power plant.
What caused the shelling
Shells hit the plant's high-voltage line forcing the operator to shut down a nuclear reactor despite the fact that no radiation leakage was detected. The nuclear power plant was captured by Russian forces in early March, in the initial phase of the war, but continues to operate with Ukrainian technicians.
The Ukrainian nuclear power company Energoatom blamed Russia for the damage to the plant, while the Russian Defense Ministry blamed Ukrainian forces for the bombing, saying a radiation leak was avoided only by chance.
Rafael Grossi said military operations that threaten the security of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant "are absolutely unacceptable and must be avoided at all costs."
"Any firepower directed to and from the station is tantamount to playing with fire, with potentially catastrophic consequences," he added.
Nuclear power plants located in Ukraine
Zelensky wants tougher international response
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky today called for a tougher international response after what he called Russian "nuclear terrorism" following the bombing of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe.
During a phone call with European Council President Charles Michel, Zelensky called for sanctions on Russia's nuclear industry and nuclear fuel, the Ukrainian leader wrote on Twitter.
Yesterday, the Ukrainian president had stated: "Today the occupiers have created another extremely dangerous situation for all of Europe: they have twice hit the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, the largest on our continent."
"Any bombing of this site is a shameless crime, an act of terrorism. Russia must bear responsibility for the very fact that it poses a threat to a nuclear power plant," he continued.
Moscow calls nuclear terrorism
"Ukrainian armed formations carried out three artillery strikes against the territory of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant and the town of Energodar," the Russian military said in a statement, calling on "international organizations to condemn the criminal actions of the Zelensky regime carrying out acts of nuclear terrorism."
Also, the Russian administration in the occupied Ukrainian city of Energodar said that power lines at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant were cut by a Ukrainian artillery attack, according to Russian media.
The Interfax news agency, citing the city administration, reported that a fire broke out at the plant's facilities and that the electricity supply needed for the safe operation of the reactors was cut off.
Guterres' warning
Recall that thousands of people flooded the "Peace Park" in Hiroshima, Japan, on August 6 to commemorate the nearly 140,000 victims of the bombing just before the end of World War II. It was only the second time UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had attended the anniversary celebrations.
It was the 77th anniversary of the dropping of the world's first atomic bomb, with the UN secretary general and other officials sounding the alarm over the new arms race following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
"Nuclear weapons are nonsense. They guarantee no security, only death and destruction," Guterres said. "After three quarters of a century, we must ask ourselves what we have learned from the mushroom cloud that rose in the sky of this city in 1945," he added, avoiding a clear reference to Russia.
Source: in.gr
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