Russia and Ukraine have accused each other for weeks of shelling the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant in the city of Enerhodar. Fighting around Europe’s largest nuclear power plant had recently heightened fears of a nuclear disaster. Footage taken on Tuesday (video above) shows the damage to the facility after the recent shelling.
The video footage shows exterior walls damaged by shelling, windows boarded up with wood fiber panels as the glass burst from the blasts’ pressure waves. You also see holes in the ground of the nuclear power plant, caused by the impact of grenades and rockets, but also in lines. A water pumping station was also reportedly attacked recently, but remained operational as most of the technology is underground.
Zelenskyy sees “nuclear blackmail”
On Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy demanded that the controversial nuclear power plant be turned over to the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Russia must unconditionally stop its “nuclear blackmail” and completely withdraw from the nuclear power plant, he demanded. An IAEA mission that is in principle supported by all parties has not yet received the green light from the warring parties. UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed concern about the situation in Zaporizhzhya.
Nuclear power plant of strategic importance for Ukraine
Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, with six reactor blocks and a net capacity of 5,700 megawatts, was taken over and controlled by Russian forces in early March, but is still operated by Ukrainian engineers. It is of strategic importance to Ukraine as it supplies electricity to almost the entire south of the country.
Since the summer, the Russian army has been using the power plant site as a command post, stockpiling supplies and ammunition, and for artillery strikes on nearby Ukrainian troops. Probably with the intention of making it impossible for them to carry out direct counter-attacks on the site of the nuclear power plant without endangering the nuclear reactors and thus the entire region.
Is the Russian army storing heavy weapons in the nuclear power plant?
Ukraine’s state-owned company NNEGC Energoatomist, which operates all of the country’s nuclear power plants, reported in July that Russian military heavy weapons and ammunition had been stored in the engine room of one of the nuclear power plant’s reactors. Such military use of a nuclear power plant would constitute a serious violation of the Geneva Conventions.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
