Fire broke out after Russia’s attack on Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine which led to Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying it could wipe out Europe.
“For the first time in human history…only immediate European action can stop Russian troops,” said Zelenskyy in a video address.
Seeking urgent intervention of its allies in Europe and the West, the Ukrainian President said, “Europe must wake up. If there is a nuclear explosion, it is the end of everything. It will wipe out Europe. Prevent the destruction of Europe from the catastrophe at the nuclear power plant.”
Zelenskyy informed that Russian tanks were shooting near nuclear blocks, causing the risk of an explosion. “They know what to target. They were prepared for this. There are six power units one of which exploded in Chernobyl,” he said.
In the battle to seize control of a crucial energy-producing city, Russian forces shelled the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, causing a fire. Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said entire Europe is at risk of a repeat of the nuclear catastrophe.
Following the incident, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) contacted Ukrainian authorities and warned of severe danger if reactors are hit. Ukraine’s nuclear regulator and the operator told IAEA that the fire at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant site has not affected “essential” equipment and that plant personnel taking mitigatory actions.
Plant spokesman Andriy Tuz had stated that shells were falling directly on the plant and had set fire to one of the facility’s six reactors. That reactor is under renovation and not operating, but there is nuclear fuel inside, he said. Firefighters cannot get near the fire because they are being shot at, Tuz said.
