According to the mayor of Energodar, Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, Zaporizhzhia in Ukraine, was on fire early Friday after an attack by Russian troops, as smoke streaming out of the facility was spotted by officials.
As per Dmytro Orlov, this comes after reports of fierce fighting between local forces and Russian troops.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba, stated that Russia has initiated attacks on the nuclear station from all sides, emphasizing the harm that the facility poses if it explodes.
“Russian army is firing from all sides upon Zaporizhzhia NPP, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. Fire has already broken out. If it blows up, it will be 10 times larger than Chernobyl!” said Kuleba
Russian troops had reportedly increased their efforts to take the plant and had entered the town with tanks, according to Ukrainian authorities.
Global threat
“As a result of continuous enemy shelling of buildings and units of the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is on fire,” Orlov said on his Telegram channel. Hence, claiming a threat to global security. He didn’t go into much depth.
Thousands are believed to have killed or been injured as the greatest attack on a European state since WWII unfolds. Thus, forcing over a million people in Ukraine to escape. It is propelling the world into one of the most significant military battles of the twenty-first century.
The mayor of Energodar claimed in an online post that there has been severe fighting in the area about 550 kilometers (342 miles) southeast of Kyiv. He stated that there had been casualties but did not elaborate.
Russia has already taken control of the decommissioned Chernobyl nuclear power station. It is located around 100 kilometers north of Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital.
Special operation
The International Atomic Energy Agency stated that it was “aware of reports of shelling” at the power facility. Also, it was in touch with Ukrainian authorities.
On Friday, the so-called conflict between Russia and Ukraine, in which the former attempted to occupy the latter, entered its ninth day (IST).
Following EU sanctions, the United States and the United Kingdom announced sanctions on more Russian oligarchs on Thursday. Thereby, ratcheting up the pressure on the Kremlin.
Sanctions have already had a “profound impact,” according to US President Joe Biden.
Russia refers to its efforts in Ukraine as a “special operation” that aims to undermine Ukraine’s military capability. It also seeks to apprehend what it considers to be dangerous nationalists. It denies that civilians are being targeted.