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As both sides continued to place blame on one another as Russian soldiers attacked communities on the opposite bank of the river from Europe’s largest nuclear plant, shelling at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station in Ukraine fueled worries of a major catastrophe.
Despite the risk, representatives of the UN’s nuclear inspector were still awaiting authorization before visiting the plant on the front lines of the conflict in the south. Oleksandr Starukh, the governor of the Zaporizhzhia region, told Ukrainian television that people were being instructed on how to apply iodine in case of a radiation leak while standing next to a crater at a school that had been largely reduced to rubble.
The plant, which is located next to the sizable Kakhovka reservoir on the Dnipro River, is two hours away from where he was speaking in the city of Zaporizhzhia.
Early in March, shortly after invading Ukraine, Russian military took control of the plant, which is still being run by Ukrainian employees. Both nations have traded accusations of shelling near the plant in recent weeks.
Russian troops once more shelled the complex’s grounds in the past 24 hours, according to Energoatom, the state nuclear power plant of Ukraine. In a statement posted on Telegram, Energoatom said, “The damage is now being assessed.”
On Saturday, the Russian defence ministry charged Ukrainian forces with bombarding the factory complex three times in a single day. In a statement, it claimed that 17 rounds were fired, four of which reportedly struck the roof of a structure housing “168 assemblies of U.S. Westinghouse nuclear fuel.”
It stated that three rounds detonated close to a structure that contains fresh nuclear fuel storage and 10 shells detonated close to a dry storage facility for spent nuclear fuel. It stated that there was no change in the plant’s radiation condition.
Reuters was unable to confirm either side’s claim.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the president of Ukraine, stated on Friday that the situation at Zaporizhzhia remained “extremely unsafe” despite the reconnection of two of the plant’s six reactors to the grid after shelling initially isolated the nuclear plant.
IAEA chief Rafael Grossi stated on Thursday that the organisation was “very, very close” to being able to send representatives to inspect the plant.
In a statement released on Saturday, Energoatom said that employees at the facility had been subject to “enhanced pressure” in preparation for the anticipated visit, in an effort to bury their testimonies regarding the occupants’ crimes at the station and use of it as a military base.
This month, Antonio Guterres, secretary-general of the United Nations, demanded that military personnel and equipment be removed from the plant to make sure it is not a target.
