For several hours, we feared the worst.
But the news was reassuring on Friday morning as Russia attacked the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant - Europe's largest - overnight.
The fire which affected an administrative building was extinguished at 6:20 a.m. (5:20 a.m. Paris time), and plant officials assured that nuclear safety was “guaranteed”, with normal radiation levels.
After phoning Joe Biden, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Moscow of using "nuclear terror", and Boris Johnson called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council.
Fighting was reported around midnight (local time) near the power plant, located in southern Ukraine, which provides 20% of the country's electricity.
On a live camera feed from the building, what appeared to be flares were seen falling to the ground, with smoke dissipating quickly.
It was about 30 min ago (0h34 h from Paris), we see projectiles (which look like flares) land near the nuclear power plant of Zaporijjia (Zaporizhzhia) with smoke which dissipates quite quickly.
live here https://t.co/JF66v2yTN7 pic.twitter.com/oe3yDWpp7z
— Philippe Berry (@ptiberry) March 4, 2022
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Shortly after, Russian tank or artillery fire hit an administrative building dedicated to training and a laboratory, triggering a fire.
The emergency services indicated that the reactor located nearby was inactive.
It does, however, contain nuclear fuel, which could have caused a dangerous leak if damaged.
On the other hand, because these are VVER reactors protected by a caisson, a runaway with a meltdown of the reactor core as in Chernobyl was, in theory, impossible.
#BREAKING: Video from moments ago from #Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine live stream shows heavy artillery fire directed at a building within the plant.
pic.twitter.com/F1HOvs8P1W
— Moshe Schwartz (@YWNReporter) March 4, 2022
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The West is up against Putin
Zelensky accused Moscow of resorting to "nuclear terror" and of wanting to "repeat" the Chernobyl disaster, the most serious in history in 1986. "We alert everyone to the fact that no other country except Russia has never fired on nuclear power plants.
This is the first time in our history, the first time in the history of mankind.
This terrorist state is now resorting to nuclear terror,” he said.
“Ukraine has fifteen nuclear reactors.
If there's an explosion, it's the end of everything.
The end of Europe.
It is the evacuation of Europe,” he continued.
“Only immediate European action can stop the Russian troops.
We must prevent Europe from dying of a nuclear disaster,” added the Ukrainian president.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council "in the next few hours".
“President Putin's irresponsible actions can now directly threaten the security of all of Europe,” he lamented in a statement, after meeting with Zelensky.
The Ukrainian president also spoke on the phone with US President Joe Biden, an official in Washington said.
Biden then "urged Russia to cease its military activities in the area" of the plant, according to the White House.
World
Russia attacks a nuclear power plant... The fire of an extinguished administrative building...
Russia
Volodymyr Zelensky
Nuclear
World
Vladimir Poutine
War in Ukraine
Nuclear plant
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To safeguard
A fault ?
To print