Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in Ukraine, fear of radiation leak

◀ anchor ▶

This time, we will continue the news with the news of the invasion of Ukraine, which is entering the ninth day.

Russia, which took control of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant at the beginning of the war, is taking control this morning following it bombarded the largest nuclear power plant in Europe.

Reporter Jeongyeon Shin will tell you.

◀ Report ▶

Zaporiza nuclear power plant located in southeastern Ukraine.

Russian shells flew incessantly, and huge flashes of light flashed in the dark night sky.

A shell attack caused a fire in the five-story training building on the border of the nuclear power plant complex, but the fire brigade was unable to even enter due to continuous Russian attacks.

Ukrainian President Zelensky and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) were only able to evolve following telling them to stop the attack.

[안드리이 투스/발전소 대변인]

“Russian forces attacked the Zaporiza nuclear power plant and caused a fire.”

The Ukrainian government said there was no damage to the power plant and there was no change in radiation levels.

However, the nuclear power plant fell into the hands of the Russian army.

Thousands of local residents, fearful of damage from radiation leaks, built a human barrier and desperately defended it, but it was eventually destroyed by Russian artillery fire.

The nuclear power plant is a large-scale complex with 6 out of 15 nuclear reactors in operation in Ukraine and produces 20% of Ukraine’s total electricity.

It is the largest single complex in Europe, but there is a warning that if it explodes, the damage will be 10 times greater than that of the Chernobyl accident.

[볼로디미르 젤렌스키/우크라이나 대통령]

“If a nuclear power plant explodes, it will be the end of everyone. Europe will end too. The whole of Europe must be evacuated.”

At the beginning of the war, Russian forces also occupied the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in northern Ukraine.

The successive dominance of nuclear power plants is analyzed as an attempt to gain an upper hand in negotiations with Ukraine, which relies on nuclear power for half of its power generation, while provoking fears around the world over a radioactive leak.

This is Jeongyeon Shin from MBC News.

Video Editing: Gom Geun

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