The emergency services confirm that there are no victims or injuries
Zelenski speaks with Johnson and Biden to monitor the situation, while local authorities consider the fire under control
MADRID, 4 (EUROPA PRESS)
A Russian bombardment has caused a fire on Thursday night at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe, on the banks of the Dnieper River, although for the moment “there have been no changes in radiation levels,” according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
“At 0555 hours (local time), a fire was located in the training building of the Zaporizhia NPP in Energodar in an area of 2,000 square meters. There have been no casualties or preliminary injuries,” the Ukraine Emergency Service said in a report.
The president of Ukraine, Volodimir Zelensky, has given a speech through a video posted on Facebook in which he has called for the bombing to cease, denouncing that Russian tanks “are firing at nuclear units” and that they would be “equipped with cameras thermographics”.
In this sense, Zelenski has maintained a round of contacts and has spoken with the president of the United States, Joe Biden, to receive an update on the situation at the nuclear power plant, while the White House would be monitoring the registered fire, confirmed in a first moment by the plant’s spokesman, Andriy Tuz, who has warned of a possible real danger of a nuclear threat.
The White House tenant has stressed that Russia must “cease its military activities in the area and allow firefighters and emergency personnel to access the site,” the White House said in a statement.
Zelenski has also spoken with the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson, who has also condemned the attack and has requested “to allow unrestricted access to the plant by emergency services,” according to a statement from the United Kingdom Government.
Local authorities initially stated that Russian troops would have prevented the passage of firefighters, although they later confirmed that the nuclear power plant “is secured”, according to the Unian and Ukrinform news agencies.
For its part, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has reported on its Twitter account that “there have been no changes in radiation levels at the nuclear power plant site” and that it is in contact with the Ukrainian authorities. to control the situation.
Likewise, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, Dimitro Kuleba, has asked Russian troops to stop attacking Europe’s largest nuclear power plant because “if it explodes, it will be 10 times larger than Chernobyl.”
“The Russian Army is firing from all sides on the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe. The fire has already broken out. If it explodes, it will be 10 times bigger than Chernobyl. The Russians must cease fire immediately and allow firefighters to establish a safety zone! », Kuleba has warned on his official Twitter profile.
The plant’s spokesman initially stated that “the Russian Federation team” was firing at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant. “There is a real threat of nuclear danger in Europe’s largest nuclear power plant,” according to the Unian news agency.
For his part, Dimitro Orlov, the mayor of Energodar, where the plant is located, has confirmed, echoing those first reports, that the attacks were continuing. “The battles continue on the ascent to the nuclear plant. Our national guardians support the defense, ”the mayor confirmed on his official Facebook profile.
In this sense, the state company Energoatom has requested on its Telegram channel the cessation of the “bombing” because “it is a serious violation of the nuclear and radiological safety of the largest nuclear facility in Europe” and has warned that “it might have serious and tragic consequences for the world », as collected by the Suspilne chain.
“Currently the station wind blows in the southeastern part of Ukraine and in the direction of the major Russian cities of Rostov-on-Don and Krasnodar,” Energoatom added in the statement.
On March 1, the International Energy Agency (IAEA) lost contact with the automatic radiological monitoring stations located in the city, which is the largest nuclear site in Ukraine.
There they house six of their 15 reactors. Ukrainian specialists are trying to determine the cause of the loss of data transfer from the Zaporizhia NPP and to restore it. In addition, the IAEA has approved a resolution condemning the seizure of several Ukrainian nuclear power plants by Russian forces.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces affirmed this Thursday that “efforts continue” by Russia to reach the outskirts of Zaporizhia and Mariupol, two strategic enclaves that would allow Russia to close the siege and advance to other points such as Dnipro and Odessa.
In recent days, residents of Energodar and Zaporizhia have tried to block roads to delay the advance of Russian troops who have finally entered the territory.
