RT.com
06 Aug 2022, 19:39 GMT+10
Moscow has accused Kiev of shelling Europe's largest nuclear power plant
Russia has urged the UN and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to make Ukraine stop the "shelling" of Europe's largest nuclear power plant.
Moscow accused Ukrainian troops of firing artillery shells at the Zaporozhskaya Nuclear Power Plant in the country's southern Zaporozhye Region on Friday.
The plant was seized by Russian forces in late February, when Moscow launched its military campaign in the neighboring country. The facility continues to operate with Ukrainian staff under Russian control.
Igor Vishnevetsky, a senior non-proliferation and arms control official at the Russian Foreign Ministry, warned that the shelling of the plant risks triggering an event similar to the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, "parts of the equipment" at the plant are out of power due to the shelling, and a fire broke out at the facility and was quickly put out. The ministry claimed that "by sheer luck," the Ukrainian shells did not cause a bigger fire and "a possible nuclear disaster."
The ministry said that Ukrainian troops also shelled the adjacent city of Energodar, causing power outages and disruptions of water supply.
The ministry called on the international community to condemn Ukraine for "the acts of nuclear terrorism."
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky claimed that the shelling of the plant came from Russian troops. "It is not only yet another reason why Russia should be recognized as a state sponsor of terrorism, but also a reason to impose tough sanctions on all of Russia's nuclear power industry," Zelensky said on Friday.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Ukrainian officials earlier accused Russia of using the plant as a "shield" for its soldiers.
"Russia is now using the plant as a military base to fire at Ukrainians, knowing that they can't and won't shoot back because they might accidentally strike a reactor or highly radioactive waste in storage," Blinken said on Monday at a UN nuclear non-proliferation conference in New York.
The Russian delegation to the conference released a statement rejecting Blinken's claim. "The actions of our Armed Forces don't damage Ukraine's nuclear safety in any way and cause no obstacles to the plant's operation."
IAEA chief Rafael Grossi told AP on Tuesday that the plant needs to be inspected for repairs and "to prevent a nuclear accident from happening."
"The situation is very fragile. Every principle of nuclear safety has been violated one way or the other and we cannot allow that to continue," Grossi said later at an event in New York.
Get a daily dose of Europe Sun news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Europe Sun.
More InformationAs China unleashed live-fire military exercises off the coast of Taiwan, simulating a real "reunification by force" operation in the ...
NAYPYIDAW, Myanmar - According to a legal official, a court in Myanmar has sentenced former leader Aung San Suu Kyi ...
BEIJING, China: Following a meeting between their foreign ministers, China and Nepal have agreed to build the Trans-Himalayan Multi-Dimensional Connectivity ...
BEIJING, China: Several regions in China experienced temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius, including the major southwestern city of Chongqing.The country's ...
SACRAMENTO, California: California Governor Gavin Newsom is proposing to give a $1.4 billion government loan to extend the life of ...
NEW DELHI, India: A government order released to reporters this week said New Delhi will continue to enforce a mask ...
NEW YORK, New York - U.S. industrial stocks interrupted their five-day rally on Wednesday with all the major indices losing ...
BANGKOK, Thailand: Thailand seeks to invest $61.97 billion in its industrial eastern region over the next five years, in a ...
JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia: In a Twitter post published this week, Saudi Arabia's Kingdom Holding said it had invested in Russian ...
SYDNEY, NSW, Australia - Stock markets across the Asia Pacific region rallied on Wednesday.In Japan, the Nikkei 225 surged 353.86 ...
DHAKA, Bangladesh A preliminary investigation into the tragic crane accident that killed five people in Uttara on Monday has found ...
HANOI, Vietnam: The Vietnamese government is considering building a high-speed railway, with a possible cost of up to $58.7 billion, ...