Russia warns the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant is growing more dangerous after repeated attacks
MOSCOW – The head of Russia’s state nuclear energy corporation Rosatom has warned that the situation at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine is moving closer to a “point of no return” following an increase in attacks around the facility.
The Russian-appointed management of the Zaporizhzhia plant said Ukrainian forces had attacked the facility for three consecutive days.
As reported by Reuters, the six-reactor plant is the largest nuclear facility in Europe.
“We are getting closer to the point of no return, and the whole of Europe now needs to make every effort to de-escalate the situation around the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant,” Rosatom chief Alexei Likhachev was quoted by Russian media as saying.
He described the situation as “playing with fire” and particularly dangerous for Eastern European countries.
Likhachev said there were around 2,600 tonnes of nuclear fuel at the facility.
Although the plant is no longer generating electricity, it must continue operating to keep the nuclear fuel cooled.
In a statement on Telegram, the plant’s management said the latest drone attacks caused no casualties or damage to the facility, and operations were continuing as normal.
Management also said permanent monitors from the International Atomic Energy Agency had been shown damage caused by an incident last Sunday, when an attack allegedly launched by Ukraine struck a transport workshop within the facility grounds.
The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant was seized by Russian forces in the early weeks of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Since then, Russia and Ukraine have repeatedly accused each other of carrying out military activities that could endanger nuclear safety. (DK/LM)
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