Chernobyl scare after Russian shelling at Europe's largest nuclear plant

By Team Newsable | First Published Mar 4, 2022, 7:23 AM IST

The International Atomic Energy Agency later informed that the Ukrainian regulator had informed the agency that there was no change reported in radiation levels at the site

The word 'Chernobyl' briefly flashed in minds around the world when Ukrainian authorities reported shelling at Europe's largest nuclear power plant named Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in the Ukrainian city of Enerhodar. A fire was reported, some media reports cited elevated levels of radiation at the site. And suddenly, the threat of another nuclear disaster became very real.

Clarity emerged when the state emergency service in a statement said that the fire at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station had broken out at a training building outside the plant's perimeter. Even the International Atomic Energy Agency later informed that the Ukrainian regulator had informed the agency that there was no change reported in radiation levels at the site.

Tap to resize

Latest Videos

Tap to resize

The IAEA post on Twitter came after the agency's director, General Rafael M Grossi spoke to Ukraine PM Denys Shmygal and the Ukrainian nuclear regulator and operator about the situation at Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

Earlier, reports had said that the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine, the biggest in Europe, was on fire early on Friday after firing by Russian troops.

Mayor Dmytro Orlov, according to news agency Reuters, of the nearby town of Energodar urged both sides to stop firing and end the war. The mayor said residents of Zaporizhzhia region in the Ukrainian city of Energodar, had blocked the roads to the town to save the nuclear power plant.

Ukraine Foreign Minister Dymtro Kuleba claimed that the Russian army is firing from all sides upon the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. He further informed that a fire has already broken out. "If it blows up, it will be 10 times larger than Chornobyl! Russians must immediately cease the fire, allow firefighters, establish a security zone!"

Many Twitter users shared visuals of the nuclear plant, calling it a "threat to world security".

Live feed shows flames coming from the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine. Mayor Dmytro Orlov confirms there had been fighting between local forces and Russian troops at the plant. Earlier video showed tanks firing at the building. pic.twitter.com/cPYHxkvt5d

— Mike Sington (@MikeSington)

The Zaporizhzhia plant in Ukraine is on fire, according to Dmytro Orlov, the mayor of the nearby town of Energodar. “A threat to world security!” One more reason why we say

— Stephen Merrill Smith (@MerrillLegacy)

Even Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in a video statement, said that Russian artillery fire at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant risked a nuclear radiation catastrophe that threatens the entire continent. 'You know the word Chernobyl,' he said in the video

On the ninth day of the Russian offensive against Ukraine, thousands are thought to have died or been wounded as the biggest attack on a European state since World War II.

On Thursday, the United States and Britain announced sanctions on more oligarchs, following on from EU measures, as they ratcheted up the pressure on the Kremlin.

Ukraine's major power source

Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which reportedly came under fire from Russians, produces about 20 per cent of Ukraine's electricity. That's enough to power more than four million homes.

Built-in the Ukrainian city of Enerhodar between 1984 and 1995, the nuclear plant has six Soviet-designed 950-megawatt reactors with a capacity of 5.7 gigawatts.

For more reliable and latest news