SLOVIANSK, Ukraine — Russia and Ukraine traded claims of rocket and artillery strikes at or close to Europe’s largest nuclear energy plant on Sunday, intensifying fears that the combating may trigger an enormous radiation leak.
Ukraine’s atomic vitality company painted an ominous image of the menace Sunday by issuing a map forecasting the place radiation may unfold from the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which Russian forces have managed since quickly after the warfare started.
Attacks have been reported over the weekend not solely in Russian-controlled territory adjoining to the plant alongside the left financial institution of the Dnieper River, however alongside the Ukraine-controlled proper financial institution, together with the cities of Nikopol and Marhanets, every about six miles from the ability.
Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov stated Sunday that Ukrainian forces had attacked the plant twice over the previous day, and that shells fell close to buildings storing reactor gas and radioactive waste.
“One projectile fell in the area of the sixth power unit, and the other five in front of the sixth unit pumping station, which provides cooling for this reactor,” Konashenkov stated, including that radiation ranges have been regular.
The U.N.’s International Atomic Energy Agency additionally reported Sunday that radiation ranges have been regular, that two of the Zaporizhzhia plant’s six reactors have been working and that whereas no full evaluation had but been made, latest combating had broken a water pipeline, since repaired.
In one other obvious assault Sunday, Russian forces shot down an armed Ukrainian drone concentrating on one of many Zaporizhzhia plant’s spent gas storage websites, a neighborhood official stated. Vladimir Rogov, a Russian-installed regional official, stated on the Telegram messaging app that the drone crashed onto a constructing’s roof, not inflicting any vital harm or injuring anybody.
Nearby, heavy firing through the night time left components of Nikopol with out electrical energy, stated Valentyn Reznichenko, the Dnipropetrovsk area’s governor. Rocket strikes broken a dozen residences in Marhanets, in keeping with Yevhen Yevtushenko, the administration head for the district that features the town of about 45,000.
The metropolis of Zaporizhzhia, about 25 miles up the Dnieper River from the nuclear plant, additionally got here beneath Russian fireplace, damaging dozens of condominium buildings and houses and wounding two folks, metropolis council member Anatoliy Kurtev stated. Russian forces struck a Zaporizhzhia restore store for Ukrainian air power helicopters, Konashenkov stated.
Neither facet’s claims may very well be independently verified.
Source: www.bostonherald.com”