Ukrainian nuclear plant again faces shelling as Kyiv warns of Russian ‘scorched earth’
Global News
Nuclear experts have warned that more shelling of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station, which was captured by Russia early in the war, is fraught with danger.
Russia and Ukraine are trading accusations that each side is shelling Europe’s biggest nuclear power plant, in southern Ukraine.
Russia on Monday claimed that Ukrainian shelling caused a power surge and fire and forced staff to lower output from two reactors, while Ukraine has blamed Russian troops for storing weapons there.
Nuclear experts have warned that more shelling of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station, which was captured by Russia early in the war, is fraught with danger. The Kremlin echoed that statement Monday, claiming that Ukrainian shelling could create “catastrophic” consequences for Europe.
Ukraine’s military intelligence spokesman, Andriy Yusov, countered that Russian forces have planted explosives at the plant to head off an expected Ukrainian counteroffensive in the region.
Previously, Ukrainian officials have said Russia is launching attacks from the plant and using Ukrainian workers as human shields.
Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, has warned that the way the plant was being run under Russian forces and the fighting going on around it pose grave health and environmental risks.
An expert in nuclear materials at Imperial College London, however, said the reactor at Zaporizhzhia is modern and housed inside a heavily reinforced steel and concrete building designed to protect against disasters.
“As such I do not believe there would be a high probably of a breach of the containment building even if it was accidently struck by an explosive shell, and even less likely the reactor itself could be damaged by such,” said Mark Wenman at the college’s Nuclear Energy Futures.