Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant

Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, the largest of its kind in Europe, was seized by Russian forces on Friday, after an attack that started a fire close ...

“If the electricity is taken out, the back-up generators kick in, but if those don’t kick in or their diesel fuel is set on fire, for example, the pumps can’t pump cold water into the reactor and into the spent fuel pools. She warned, however, that the pools holding spent fuel rods could be more of a worry. “The fuel there is not as active, but they are usually overstuffed,” Budjeryn said. “This is the first time in our history, in the history of mankind, the terrorist state now resorted to nuclear terror.” VVER reactors are considered much safer than the type of reactor that blew up in Chernobyl in 1986, for example. “Only immediate action of Europe can stop Russian troops and prevent the death of Europe from the disaster at a nuclear station.” The British prime minister, Boris Johnson, also spoke to Zelenskiy after news of the fire broke. “The situation continues to be extremely tense and challenging,” Grossi said. Zelenskiy said earlier on Friday while the fire was still blazing that Europe “must wake up now. After all, we fought together in 1986 against the Chernobyl catastrophe,” he said in a televised address. She said attacks on nuclear facilities are a direct violation of the Geneva conventions. It is necessary that another shift comes to work,” Kotin said on Energoatom’s Telegram channel.

Following recent news of Russian shelling of Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine, which is the largest in Europe, there is great concern ...

Water must be circulated in storage pools and the reactor even after shutdown, which means a source of electricity is required, as well as staff to monitor and manage the plant. It seems likely, at least currently, that the planners of Russia’s “special military operation” will seek to capture the plant as a piece of critical national infrastructure. Such a scenario is not limited to a nuclear reactor either. With six large nuclear power reactors, there is a significant quantity of nuclear material at the site. Older reactors, such as those in Ukraine, require active measures to maintain the fuel in a safe state. To attack a nuclear power plant, especially one so close to one’s own territory, is a highly risky strategy.

If Europe's largest nuclear power station explodes, it would be a disaster '10 times larger than Chernobyl' · Sign up to our NationalWorld Today newsletter · The ...

We want to start a community among our readers, so please follow us on sign up to our newsletters and get a curated selection of our best reads to your inbox every day. NationalWorld is a new national news brand, produced by a team of journalists, editors, video producers and designers who live and work across the UK. Find out more about who’s who in the team, and our editorial values. Nor had the shelling or fire caused any damage to “essential” equipment. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said Russia’s shelling of a nuclear power station in the south-eastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia could “directly threaten the safety of all of Europe”. A protective “sarcophagus” was built and placed over the power plant in order to reduce the spread of radioactive contamination. Downing Street has said the targeting of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant could “directly threaten the safety of all of Europe”.

Russian forces set an adjacent five-story training facility on fire.

Russian military forces also seized control of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant days ago. He said Russian forces must “immediately” cease an attack on the nuclear power plant. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky accused Moscow of resorting to “ nuclear terror” and wanting to “repeat” the Chernobyl disaster.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the 'targeted attack' on the power plant 'could have been the end of history for Ukraine and Europe'

Firefighters were eventually waved through after Mr Zelensky’s call for an immediate ceasefire to tackle the blaze. Dominic Raab, the UK’s Deputy Prime Minister, said on Friday that the attack was at the very least “clearly a reckless bombardment of a very sensitive, and precarious and dangerous facility”. In an update at 7.30am, the State Inspectorate for Nuclear Regulation announced that the Zaporizhzhya plant had been “captured by the military forces of the Russian Federation”. It is now under Russian control. Andriy Tuz said Russian military vehicles were “shelling” Zaporizhzhia and warned that there was “a real threat of nuclear danger at the l argest nuclear power plant in Europe”. The only nuclear reactor to have been caught in crossfire during the attack was taken offline at 2.26am, and the blaze is understood to have been limited to a training building on the complex. Ukrainian authorities were first alerted to an incident at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in the early hours this morning when an employee posted on Telegram that Russian forces had fired on the facility.

Fire that broke out at the site is now out, officials say, as local authorities announce Russian forces have seized the plant.

In the U.K. readout, a spokesperson for Johnson said the PM had spoken with Zelenskyy about the "gravely concerning" situation, and was seeking an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting. In the history of mankind.” He added: "Now it is not a threat, now it is a reality, and we do not know ... where this will end." But the agency The IAEA "Russian army is firing from all sides upon Zaporizhzhia NPP," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said. This is the first time in our history.