New Delhi: With Ukraine and Russia blaming each other for shelling near Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, concerns have risen over the risk of a possible radiation leak from the plant. Ukrainian authorities on Saturday alleged that Russian forces launched missiles and artillery strikes across the Dnieper River near Europe’s largest Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in occupied parts of Ukraine. At the same time, Russia claims that the shells fired by Ukraine have fallen on the building in which nuclear fuel is kept. Meanwhile, officials on Friday distributed iodine tablets among people living near the plant to protect them in case of radiation exposure.
The biggest concern is the cooling system of the nuclear plant reactor, which requires electricity to keep it running. Officials said the plant was temporarily closed on Thursday due to damage to the transmission line due to the fire. Experts believe that the accident could have happened due to excessive heating of the nuclear reactor due to the shutdown of the cooling system. The Russian military had captured the nuclear plant at the beginning of the six-month war, and local personnel from Ukraine continued to operate it.
Both sides have been accusing each other of shelling the plant, raising fears of devastation in the area. Ukraine’s nuclear power operator Energotum said on Saturday that intermittent shelling had damaged the power station’s infrastructure. “The risk of leakage of hydrogen and radioactive material and fire is very high,” the company said. Giving details of the latest conflict, the governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region, Valentin Reznichenko, said that Russian Grad missiles and artillery shells attacked Nikopol and Marhanets. have been done.
This area is located just 10 kilometers across the Dnieper River near the nuclear power plant. However, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov claimed that Ukrainian forces fired at the plant from Marhanets. In the past day, 17 Ukrainian shells have fallen on the plant, four of which fell on the roof of the building where nuclear fuel is kept, he said. The claims of both parties could not be immediately confirmed. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), a United Nations body, is trying to negotiate a deal to send its team of observers to the plant.
Officials said preparations are being made for the inspection, but it is not yet clear when it will be possible. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said it was imperative that IAEA representatives visit the plant as soon as possible and help keep it under “permanent control of Ukraine”. “The situation remains alarming,” he said. Ukraine claims Russia is using the plant as a shield to store weapons and carry out attacks from around it, while Russia alleges that Ukraine has nuclear weapons. The plant is shelling the premises.
