Russia’s attack on Europe’s largest nuclear power plant shocks the international community

03/04/2022 20:03

The attack, which did not cause a radioactive release, heightens fears that the war in Ukraine could turn nuclear.

1:24

The fear that the Russian invasion of Ukraine turns into a nuclear war, either due to the use of this type of weapon, or due to an accident caused by military attacks, such as the one suffered at the Zaporizhia power plant, has once again toured the Old Continent this Friday while Russia intensifies its offensive and more than 1.2 million people have left the country.

It so happens that in the invaded Ukraine is the old Chernobyl power plant, which in 1986 was the scene of the largest nuclear accident in history, and which is currently also being taken over by the Russian Army.

After the attack this Friday, and a fire in its buildings that was put out by firefighters after a few hours of uncertainty, the Russian Army under the command of Vladimir Putin took control of the facility.

The director general of the UN nuclear agency, Rafael Grossi, has assured that the projectile that hit the nuclear power plant came from Russian forces and has reiterated the danger of fighting near such compounds.

The head of Political Affairs of the UNRosemary DiCarlo, has denounced that “military operations around nuclear installations and other civilian infrastructures are not only unacceptable, but highly irresponsible”.

The general secretary of the NATOJens Stoltenberg, has denounced this Friday the Russian attacks against civilians in Ukraine and against the Zaporizhia nuclear plant, although he has insisted that the military organization is not part of the conflict.

The Prosecutor’s Office of Ukraine has announced the opening of an investigation. The organization has highlighted that “the attack by the enemy has caused a fire and the threat of a nuclear explosion that would have resulted in a global environmental catastrophe”, while stating that the investigation will also be for ecocide.

1:34

The European Union has asked that nuclear security not be endangered by “indiscriminate” attacks, such as the one perpetrated last night by Russia at the Ukrainian plant in Zaporizhia, the largest in Europe, since it would have “catastrophic” effects, for which he urged that stop “immediately

The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, has proposed a meeting at the Chernobyl plant with representatives of Ukraine and Russia to address a framework of security guarantees for Ukrainian nuclear facilities in the face of the Russian military offensive.

United States has called the attack a “war crime” and has considered it an example of the “reckless” way in which Moscow is carrying out the invasion of Ukraine.

The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyhas asked Europe to “wake up now” to Russia’s “nuclear terrorism”, and has warned that Russia wants to repeat the Chernobyl nuclear catastrophe, “but six times more”, referring to the number of units in the plant nuclear attacked.

Volodímir Zelenski has maintained a round of contacts in recent hours with the US president, Joe Biden; the President of the European Council, Charles Michael; the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz; the Polish president, Andrzej Duda; the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, as well as the British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson. The british prime minister assured this Friday that call for a special meeting of the United Nations Security Council in the next few hours after the attack in Zaporizhia.

The Russian Ministry of Defense has denied attacking the nuclear power plant with tanks, artillery and rockets, and has described the incident as “a monstrous provocation” carried out by a Ukrainian sabotage group. The spokesman for the Russian Ministry of Defense has indicated that the Russian military have responded to the attack by “Ukrainian saboteurs”, whom he has accused of starting the fire in their retreat.