Shelling intensifies nuclear plant peril

SHELLING continued yesterday around Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, it was claimed, after Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky warned of a “very risky” situation.

- Marco Giannangeli

While two of Zaporizhzhia’s six reactors were reconnected to the grid after fires damaged power lines to the plant, fears of a radioactive leak remained high.

“Due to the presence of the Russian military, their weapons, equipment and explosives at the power plant, there are serious risks for the safe operation of the ZNPP,” said Ukraine’s state-run Energoatom, which controls all four of the country’s nuclear installations.

“As a result of periodic shelling, the infrastructure of the power plant has been damaged, there are risks of hydrogen leakage and sputtering of radioactive substances, and the fire hazard is high.”