Russian military forces took over the Zaporijia plant, the largest in Europe, the target of an attack that led to a fire in the early hours of Friday (4), according to the regional administration.
In a post on social media, management explained that the operational team monitors the conditions of the unit and that efforts seek to ensure that operations are in accordance with safety requirements. Ukraine’s nuclear plant inspection agency also disclosed that Russian troops occupied the unit.
The fire after the attack in the early hours of this Friday, Thursday night in Brazil, reached a building outside the plant, according to initial information. The plant’s management told the agency that there was no immediate risk of nuclear contamination.
Ukraine’s Emergency Service later said the radiation and fire conditions at the facility were “within normal limits”, information later confirmed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
At around 1:30 am (Brasilia time), the fire was brought under control and, on Friday morning in Ukraine, one of the six reactors was in operation. The IAEA added that the flames had not reached essential equipment and that there had been no change in radiation levels.
The fear was that the fire would generate an explosion that, according to Ukrainian Chancellor Dmitro Kuleba, would potentially have an impact ten times greater than that of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, which occurred in Ukraine still in the Soviet Union in 1986. President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that that would mean the “end of everything, the end of Europe”.
Zaporijia, built between 1985 and 1989, is the largest complex of its kind in Europe. About 25% of Ukrainian power is supplied by the plant, which also makes it a central asset for any invading or defending force.
The Russians had been besieging the plant for two days. The mayor of the Ukrainian city that houses the plant, Energodar, had said in the late afternoon of Thursday (3) that there was a large concentration of soldiers from Moscow heading to the region. Since Tuesday (1st), plant employees and residents had closed access to the site to Russian armored vehicles, which turned around.
The situation in Zaporijia is already causing international concern. China’s Foreign Ministry urged both sides to ensure the safety of nuclear facilities in Ukraine. “We will monitor the situation and ask everyone to refrain,” the spokesperson said.
French European Affairs Minister Clement Beaune said the European Union must stand firm as Russian attacks intensified and added that it was too early to assess the consequences of the fire. “You can see the attacks intensify, which is extremely worrying and serious.”
Despite the situation at the plant, the mayor of Energodar, Dmitro Orlov, posted on Facebook this Friday morning that the city’s streets were quiet, but recommended that people stay indoors. There was also an interruption in heating due to bombing damage.
The Energodar plant is not the first nuclear power plant to be involved in combat in this war. On the second day of the operation, last Friday (25), the Russians began to fight in the Chernobyl region and took the place over the weekend. There, the plant continues to operate to maintain control over the reactor that exploded in 1986 under a lead sarcophagus, which holds radioactive emissions.
The Russian advance is still continuing in other areas of the country, although there were few reports of bombings earlier this Friday. In Mariupol, according to the latest report from the British Defense Ministry, the city remains under Ukrainian control, despite being surrounded by Vladimir Putin’s troops. Civilian infrastructure has also been the target of intense attacks, as already reported by local politicians on Thursday.
Ukrainian media also reported that the Russian military took over a TV tower in Kherson, which Moscow says is under its control. The fear is that the structure would be used to spread disinformation in the city.
According to a Pentagon survey released on Thursday, the Russians have already fired more than 480 missiles of all sizes and powers. More than 230 were launched in Ukraine, another 160 came from Russia and about 70 from Belarus.
Ukraine, for its part, maintains a counter-attack speech, and the country’s Defense Ministry posted on Facebook that, as of Friday, just over 9,000 Russian soldiers had already died in combat, and Moscow troops had lost 251 tanks. , 939 armored vehicles, 33 aircraft, 37 helicopters, among other equipment. However, it has not been possible to confirm these numbers.
