![]() ![]() ![]() “There’s not a precedent for this.”Ĭlark, from Hudson Institute, argued the most likely scenario if Russian troops are forced to retreat from a Ukrainian advance, is for them to attempt to disable the plant from restarting again - but not in a way that triggers an environmental disaster. They are not built to withstand modern military action,” he said. They are built to withstand thunderstorms and tornadoes. “Nuclear power plants are very strongly built. VA, NAACP announce partnership to improve quality of life for minority, Black veterans Russia takes a dangerous turn in its war on Ukraine Ukraine does control territory on the opposite bank of the plant located on the Dnipro, but has shown no signs it will launch an attack across the river.Įrath, from the Center for Arms Control and Nonproliferation, said he was most concerned about Russia taking the plant as hostage if Ukraine advances toward the site. Ukrainian forces would have to break through miles of Russian lines to get to the city of Tokmak, a major waypoint in the counteroffensive near the city of Melitopol, and then advance west toward the banks of the Dnipro. ![]() Kyiv has hinted it wants the plant back rather than wait for a disaster orchestrated by Russia, though Ukraine’s counteroffensive launched last month has made incremental progress, and forces trying to break deep into the Zaporizhzhia region remain far from the plant. As with the nuclear power plant, Ukrainian and Russian officials blamed each other for preparing attacks, not long before the dam collapsed. The back-and-forth accusations between Kyiv and Moscow come just weeks after the Kakhovka Dam on the Dnipro River was breached by an unknown force, sending immense floodwater across southern Ukraine. Some humanitarian advocates have called for a fully implemented safe zone around the plant. The IAEA encourages both Ukraine and Russia to follow the principles of not attacking the plant or attacking from within the site - nor should it be used for the storage of heavy weapons. Grossi, the IAEA chief, said this week he requested access to additional areas, including reactors three and four, as well as cooling stations. However, Russia controls the nuclear power station and what inspectors may see. The IAEA says inspectors conducted a walkthrough Wednesday and found no evidence of explosives or mines at the plant. He added as long as their forces hold the plant, there’s a risk of a disaster. Ukraine’s top spy chief, Kyrylo Budanov, told Reuters Thursday the latest threat from Russia against the power plant has “receded” but declined to go into further detail. Fears revived in June as Ukraine said Russian forces were withdrawing from the site and accused Moscow of preparing to blow up the nuclear plant from the inside. Since last spring, when Russian forces took the power plant, Ukrainian officials have repeatedly warned of a nuclear disaster at the hands of Moscow.įighting around the plant last year sparked international alarm and eventually led IAEA inspectors to station permanently at the plant in the fall. is “very clear that Russia’s occupation of this plant is dangerous.” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the U.S. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova claimed in a Telegram post that because Ukraine was carrying out drills to prepare for a radiation leak, they would soon attack it. Russian officials in turn have accused Ukrainians of preparing to drop bombs with radioactive waste on the plant. “But in any case, the world sees - can’t but see - that the only source of danger to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is Russia and no one else.” Perhaps they have some other scenario,” Zelensky said in an address. “Perhaps to simulate an attack on the plant. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stressed Tuesday that his intelligence indicates Russian troops “placed objects resembling explosives on the roof of several power units of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.” There are also growing questions over instability in Russia, with Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, who led a rebellion against Moscow last month, apparently returning to Russia despite agreeing to exile in Belarus.Īnd even if neither side attacks the plant deliberately, the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant could be caught in the crossfire as Ukraine pushes forward in its counteroffensive across the eastern front. ![]()
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