For the second time in a few days, the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant in Ukraine is under fire. A used nuclear fuel storage facility was hit on Sunday evening. In addition, sensors for measuring radiation were damaged, the Ukrainian nuclear authority Energoatom reported. She accused the Russians who occupied the building of shelling the building themselves. Russia, on the other hand, accuses Ukraine of firing a missile at the nuclear power plant.
A worker was also injured in the attack on Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, Energoatom announced on Sunday. Shortly before the explosion, hundreds of members of the Russian crew were hiding in bunkers. The information provided by both parties could not initially be independently verified.
Moscow and Kiev only held each other responsible for the shelling of the massive facility last Friday. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) then again pushed for access to the power plant, which the Russians have occupied over the course of the nearly half-year-long war.
IAEA warns of ‘nuclear catastrophe’
The latest attack underscores “the very real threat of a nuclear catastrophe that could threaten public health and the environment in Ukraine and beyond,” IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said on Saturday. Any military firepower directed at or emanating from the facility would be “playing with fire”. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a video message (see above) called the attack an “act of terror” for which Russia must take responsibility.
Meanwhile, the Russian military claims it destroyed tons of ammunition that NATO countries shipped to Ukraine. A warehouse containing a total of 45,000 tons of ammunition was hit in the southern Ukrainian region of Mykolayiv, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said. This could not be independently verified. Konashenkov also reported that five other weapons depots had been attacked – one in the particularly hard-fought eastern region of Donetsk.
Russia transfers troops to Belarus
Belarus is a key ally of Russia in the five-and-a-half-month war of aggression, although the former Soviet Republic was never officially involved in the invasion. According to the Ukrainian General Staff, Russia continues to transfer war technology to Belarus. Additional armed forces and air defense equipment would be stationed on Belarusian territory, including in the border area with the western Ukrainian region of Volhynia, the general staff in Kiev announced on Sunday.
Shortly after the invasion began in late February, the authoritarian ruler Alexander Lukashenko admitted that Russian missiles had been fired towards Ukraine from Belarusian territory. Lukashenko is considered a close partner of Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin. Belarusian opposition members who have fled abroad accuse Lukashenko’s power apparatus of collaboration.
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.
