updated7. August 2022, 14:15
Ukraine warRocket hits the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant once more
The nuclear power plant in Zaporizhia was shot at on Sunday night. Just last Friday, Moscow and Kyiv blamed each other for the shelling of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant.
Russia and Ukraine accuse each other, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) speaks of a “very real danger of a nuclear catastrophe”.
REUTERS
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The Zaporizhia nuclear power plant was shelled on Sunday night.
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A storage facility for spent nuclear fuel was hit and sensors for measuring radiation were damaged.
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An attack had already taken place on Friday. Russia and Ukraine blame each other.
For the second time in a few days, Moscow and Kyiv have accused each other of shelling the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine. The Ukrainian army fired a rocket at the nuclear power plant on Sunday night, the Russian news agency Interfax reported, citing the occupation administration in the city of Enerhodar, where the power plant is located.
Ukraine’s nuclear agency Energoatom, on the other hand, has accused Russia of shelling the site under its control. The authority writes on Telegram: “Apparently they specifically targeted the containers with spent fuel elements that are stored in the vicinity of the shelling site in the open air. There are currently 174 casks with 24 spent fuel elements each. »
International Atomic Energy Agency is pushing for access to the facility
During the attack, a spent nuclear fuel storage facility was hit and sensors for measuring radiation were damaged. Energoatom also reported that shortly before the explosion, hundreds of members of the Russian crew hid in bunkers. The information provided by both sides might not initially be checked independently.
Just last Friday, Moscow and Kyiv blamed each other for the shelling of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) then once once more pushed for access to the facility, which the Russians have occupied during the war that has been going on for almost half a year. The latest attack underscores “the very real threat of a nuclear catastrophe that might threaten public health and the environment in Ukraine and beyond,” IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said on Saturday.
After attacks on Friday, the reactor was shut down
According to the Ukrainian state operator, one of the nuclear reactors was shut down following Friday’s attacks on the site of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine. A high-voltage line to the neighboring thermal power plant was damaged by the air raids and the “emergency protection system” was triggered. The reactor was switched off, Energoatom announced on Saturday in the online service Telegram. Ukraine and Russia blame each other for Friday’s attacks.
(dpa/fis)