Russian troops, on Friday March 4, 2022, managed to seize Europe's largest nuclear power plant, Zaporizhzhia in Ukraine, after a midnight attack that caused a fire, and raised world fears of the most horrific disaster in Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
The attack clearly sparked global alarm and fears of the world's worst nuclear catastrophe.
In an attack on a nuclear power plant in Ukraine, in the city of Enerhodar, the head of the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Mariano Grossi, said the Russian projectile hit the training center, but not one of the six reactors. . Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant during a tour of the Chernobyl exclusive zone.
The attack sparked global alarm and fears of the world's worst nuclear disaster. In an emotional evening address, Ukraine's President, Volodymyr Zelensky, said he was worried that the explosion at a nuclear power plant would be the end for everyone, especially in Europe.
In the United States, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said that the incident was the carelessness of Russia, which had invaded without reason. At an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, Ukraine's Ambassador to the UN, Sergiy Kyslytsya, also said that Russia's shooting at a nuclear power plant was an act of terrorism.
Atomic safety experts say a war taking place in the center of a nuclear reactor is an unprecedented and very dangerous situation.
"No nuclear plant is designed to withstand a potential full-scale military strike," said Edwin Lyman, of the Union of Concerned Scientists in Washington.
In addition, Dr Alex Rosen of the International Physician for the Prevention of Nuclear War, said the incident may have been the result of military units overestimating the precision of their weapons.
“They cannot have a vested interest in polluting their own territory. The danger comes not only from the reactor, but from the risk of enemy fire hitting the storage facility holding the spent fuel rods," Rosen said. Smoke rises from an oil depot that, according to local authorities, was damaged by a bomb attack in Chernihiv, Ukraine.
On the other hand, nuclear officials from Sweden to China claim that no radiation spikes have been reported. Ukrainian authorities say Russian forces have taken control of the entire site, but factory staff are continuing to work as they should.
Only one reactor is operating and with a capacity of 60 percent. Two people were injured in the firefight, and three Ukrainian soldiers were killed and injured in a shooting at a Ukrainian nuclear power plant.
Russian troops continued to carry out attacks during the week on various fronts, although they did not appear to have gained significant ground in Friday's fighting. In addition, with increasing worldwide condemnation, the Kremlin cracked down on information flows at home including Facebook, Twitter, BBC media, and Voice of America funded by the United States government.
Russian President Vladimir Putin also signed a criminal code punishable by up to 15 years in prison for spreading fake news, including those that go against the government's official line on the war.