Day 9: Ukraine, UN confirm no radiation leaks after nuclear plant attack by Russia

Last Thursday night’s Russian attack at Europe’s biggest nuclear power plant in Ukraine did not result in any radiation being released and firefighters extinguished a blaze at the facility, U.N. and Ukrainian officials said, as Russian forces pressed their campaign Friday to cripple the country despite global condemnation.

The International Atomic Energy Agency’s director-general, Rafael Mariano Grossi, said Friday the building hit by a Russian “projectile” at the Zaporizhzhia plant was “not part of the reactor” but instead a training center.

Nuclear officials from Sweden to China said no radiation spikes had been reported, as did Grossi. Ukrainian officials have said Russian troops took control of the overall site, but the plant’s staff were continuing to ensure its operations. Grossi said the Ukrainians were in control of the reactor.

Still, the attack caused worldwide concern, and evoked memories of the world’s worst nuclear disaster at Ukraine’s Chernobyl.

The plant fire came as the Russian military advanced on a strategic city on the Dnieper River near where the facility is located, and gained ground in their bid to cut the country off from the sea. That would deal a severe blow to Ukraine’s economy and could worsen an already dire humanitarian situation.

Russia-Ukraine war

With the invasion in its second week, another round of talks between Russia and Ukraine yielded a tentative agreement to set up safe corridors to evacuate citizens and deliver humanitarian aid. The war has sent more than 1 million fleeing over the border and countless others sheltering underground. A handful cities are without heat and at least one is struggling to get food and water.

There were initially conflicting reports about which part of the Zaporizhzhia plant was affected by the attack — confusion that underscored the dangers of active fighting near a nuclear power plant. It was the second time since the invasion began just over a week ago that concerns about a potential nuclear accident materialized, following a battle at Chernobyl.

Grossi said only one reactor of six at the plant is currently operating, at about 60% capacity, and that two people were injured in the fire. Ukraine’s state nuclear plant operator Enerhoatom said three Ukrainian soldiers were killed and two wounded.

Facing worldwide indignation, Russia sought to deflect blame. Without producing evidence, Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov claimed a Ukrainian “sabotage group” had occupied the training building, fired on a Russian patrol and set fire to the building as they left.

Overall, the outnumbered, outgunned Ukrainians have put up stiff resistance, staving off the swift victory that Russia appeared to have expected.

But in a sign of how much pressure they are under, Ukraine’s defense minister said Friday that the flagship of its navy was scuttled at the shipyard where it was undergoing repairs to keep it from being seized by Russian forces.

“It is hard to imagine a more difficult decision for a courageous soldier and crew,” said Oleksii Reznikov.

Another strategic port, Mariupol on the Azov Sea, was “partially under siege,” and Ukrainian forces were pushing back efforts to surround the city, Arestovich said Friday.

Battles have knocked out the city’s electricity, heat and water systems, as well as most phone service, officials said. Food deliveries were also cut.

Putin’s forces have brought their superior firepower to bear over the past few days, launching hundreds of missiles and artillery attacks on cities and other sites and making significant gains in the south, including taking the port of Kherson, the first major city to fall.

Russia’s 2014 seizure of the Crimean Peninsula also gives it a logistical advantage in the country’s south, with shorter supply lines that smoothed the offensive there, said a senior U.S. defense official on condition of anonymity.

In an emotional speech in the middle of Thursday night, Zelenskyy said he feared an explosion that would be “the end for everyone. The end for Europe. The evacuation of Europe.”

But most experts saw nothing to indicate impending disaster.

“The real threat to Ukrainian lives continues to be the violent invasion and bombing of their country,” the American Nuclear Society said.

AP