The horror in Ukraine does not stop, with Russian artillery hitting the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, that of Zaporizhazhia. The safety of the plant has now been “restored”, thanks to the arrival of the firefighters. The bombing of the nuclear plant triggered a fire in a nuclear reactor, as reported by the plant’s spokesman, Andrei Tuz.
“A fire broke out following a bombing by Russian forces on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant,” said Tuz. The fire continued for several hours before being put out.
“The Russian army is firing from all sides on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. The fire has already broken out”: Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba wrote on Twitter before the fire was extinguished.
Kuleba continued: “If (the reactor) explodes, it will be 10 times worse than Chernobyl! The Russians must IMMEDIATELY cease fire, and allow access to the fire brigade, establishing a safe zone.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has accused Vladimir Putin’s Russia of nuclear terrorism.
“We warn everyone. No nation apart from Russia has ever bombed nuclear reactors. This is the first time in our history, in human history, that a terrorist nation has resorted to nuclear terrorism.”
The Zaporizhazhia nuclear power plant was built between 1984 and 1995, it is the largest in Europe and the ninth in the world: it has six reactors, each of which generates 950MW, for a total production of 5,700MW, enough energy for four million homes.
It typically produces 1/5 of the electricity in Ukraine, according to the Guardian.
The plant is located in southeastern Ukraine, near the city of Enerhodar, on the banks of the Kachovka reservoir on the Dnieper River. It is approximately 200 km from the Donbass region and 550 km from Kiev.