Russia takes control of Ukraine’s nuclear power plant
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Roshan Amiri
- . March 5, 2022
- . Update: March 5, 2022 6:01 pm
Ukraine–Russia has taken control of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in Ukraine. On Day 9 of Russia’s war with Ukraine, a fire broke out at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant after it was shelled by Russian troops.
The power plant accounts for about one-quarter of Ukraine’s power generation. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said that there were no radiation leaks and the safety of six nuclear reactors were not affected by Russian shelling. However, at least three Ukrainian soldiers were killed during the attack. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of “nuclear terror”. Subsequently, world leaders have accused Russian authorities of endangering the safety of an entire continent.
Zelenskyy said that Russian President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin wants a “repeat” of the Chernobyl disaster. The disaster took place on 26 April 1986 at the No. 4 reactor in the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. The Ukrainian Prime Minister said that if the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant was damaged, it would have caused devastation six times worse than the Chernobyl disaster.
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The IAEA Director-General, Rafael Mariano Grossi, offered to travel to Chernobyl to negotiate with Ukrainian troops and Russian troops to ensure the security of all nuclear sites of the country. The Ukrainian authorities said that the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant is now secure. The United States President Joe Biden urged the Russian authorities to stop their military activities around the site. Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the “reckless” attack could affect the safety of all Europeans. The three leaders spoke to Zelenskyy by phone.
Ukraine is witnessing intense fighting between the Russian and Ukrainian troops. The people want to fly to other countries from Ukraine amid the crisis. According to the United Nations, over 1.2 million people have fled Ukraine into neighbouring countries because of the Russia-Ukraine war.
