UKRAINE: The office and fire station of Europe’s largest power plant received 10 hits on Thursday, according to each side. Rafael Grossi, chairman of the UN Security Council’s nuclear watchdog, gave a grave hour warning during a meeting called to address the issue.
António Guterres, the secretary general of the UN, added that it might “lead to calamity.” China and the US both demanded that UN specialists be given immediate access to the plant, although previous requests of this nature have not yet been granted.
Before that, the US had demanded the creation of a demilitarized zone surrounding the plant, stating that “fighting near a nuclear reactor is unsafe and irresponsible.”
Demilitarization, according to Russia’s UN delegate, is not an option since it would make the plant more susceptible to “provocations” and “terrorist assaults,” he claimed. We are held at gunpoint inside the Zaporizhzhia power plant.
How near to a catastrophe was the nuclear plant attack?
Last week, shelling occurred around the complex in central-eastern Ukraine, and both Russia and Ukraine have levelled accusations against one another for that incident.
According to Ukraine, Russia has converted the area into a military post and has been using it as a launch pad for operations while knowing that Ukrainian forces are unlikely to respond.
The Zaporizhzhia plant and the areas close to the nuclear complex were once more attacked by Russian invaders, according to a statement released by Ukraine’s nuclear agency Enerhoatom on Thursday.
It was reported that numerous radiation sensors were destroyed and an administrative office next to the welding area was struck. There was a tiny grass fire nearby, but nobody was hurt. Enerhoatom also stated that the nearby fire station was a target.
They were forced to work overtime because the shelling made it hard to replace the staff after their shift. Enerhoatom, though, said that things were currently under control.
The Crisis’ Progression in Zaporizhzhia
The facility is taken over by Russian forces in March 2022, shortly after they begin their invasion of Ukraine. Rosatom, the Russian state nuclear energy organisation, has been informed by the complex’s administration that it is now their property. Even though the plant is under Russian authority, Ukrainian employees still run it.
The structure became a military base in July after Russian soldiers placed missile launchers there. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, the plant is “totally out of control,” and requires inspection and maintenance as of August 3.
According to Enerhoatom, on August 05 a reactor’s operators had to be disconnected from the electricity system as a result of two rounds of Russian rocket fire. G7 foreign ministers demand that Russia quickly return control of the plant to Ukraine on August 10.
On August 11, there were reports of more bombardment of the plant, with Russia and Ukraine once more accusing one another. In a parallel statement, the Russian-installed leadership blamed Ukraine for the shelling.
They said that heavy artillery and multiple-launch rocket systems were being used by Ukrainian forces. None of the sides’ claims has been independently verified.
Speaking on Thursday at a UN Security Council meeting in New York City, Grossi once more demanded that his International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) be permitted access to the plant to conduct an inspection.
He declared that it was “a dreadful hour” and that the IAEA should be given permission to visit Zaporizhzhia as soon as possible.
The UN Secretary-General has previously stated that “urgent agreement at a technical level is needed on a secure perimeter of demilitarisation to safeguard the area’s safety.”
Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, cautioned that “only the complete evacuation of Russians from Zaporizhzhia assures the restoration of nuclear safety for entire Europe” in his evening speech.
The Zaporizhzhia factory is in the Ukrainian city of Enerhodar, which is located on the left bank of the Dnieper River (Dnipro in Ukrainian). It houses radioactive waste and has six pressurised water reactors.
Following the seizure of the site, Russia retained its Ukrainian staff.Officials from the UN’s nuclear watchdog haven’t been able to inspect the plant yet.
