“Due to the attack on the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, the emergency protection system was activated in one of the three reactors in operation, which was disabled,” Energoatom announced.
The agency said the blasts caused “severe damage” to a unit storing nitrogen and oxygen and an “annex building”.
“Hydrogen and radioactive material leaks still pose risks. Fire risk is high,” Energoatom said.
“The explosion posed a serious risk to the safe operation of the plant,” the company said, adding that power was still being generated and employees were still working at the site.
On Friday, Russian-speaking separatist officials in Enrdogar, near Zaporizhia, warned of attacks by Ukrainian forces on infrastructure, prompting Kiev to respond and blame Russian troops for the military operations.
Local authorities believe that the Ukrainian military deliberately attacked the power lines with the aim of creating a threat to the population of the territory located near the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant.
In response, Ukraine accused the Russians of an attack near the nuclear reactor. “Today, three attacks were reported near one of the nuclear reactors,” Energoatom, the Ukrainian state company that manages the country’s nuclear power plants, announced on the Telegram network.
In early March, the Russian military occupied the facilities of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, where heavy fighting took place in the first weeks of the war.
On Monday, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken accused Russia of using the nuclear plant as a military base to carry out attacks. [os ucranianos] Shots cannot be answered because they might hit a nuclear reactor or highly radioactive debris.
Kiev says Moscow is stockpiling heavy weapons and ammunition in central Moscow.
The military offensive launched by Russia in Ukraine on February 24 has already forced nearly 17 million people from their homes – more than six million internally displaced people and more than ten million to neighboring countries – according to the latest UN data. The refugee crisis is the worst in Europe since World War II (1939-1945).
According to the United Nations, about 16 million people in Ukraine are in need of humanitarian assistance.
UN Counting more than 5,300 civilian deaths, the actual numbers must be much higher, but are known only during access to occupied territories or during intense fighting.
“Hardcore explorer. Extreme communicator. Professional writer. General music practitioner. Prone to fits of apathy.”