Kiev/Moscow on Aug.9 : As Russia has once again accused Ukraine of shooting at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, fears grew regarding the safety of the complex that has seen repeated shelling in the past few days.A catastrophe at the Ukrainian nuclear power plant in the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhya could be much more serious than Chernobyl or Fukushima disasters, the dpa agency reported.Yevheny Zymbalyuk, Kiev’s ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as declaring in Vienna on Monday.
He warned of serious consequences not just for Ukraine but for the entirety of Europe.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres also warned of the danger of the present situation, saying that “any attack on a nuclear facility is an “suicidal situation”.
“What will occur in the radius of 40 to 50 kilometers of the site, which is certainly not comparable with Chernobyl or Fukushima,” Zymbalyuk added.
Analysts, however, say that as compared to the reactors in Chernobyl as well as Fukushima, Zaporizhzhya is better protected by an additional cooling circuit and an extra layer of protection but it is likely to be not able to withstand an attack by a military force.
Zymbalyuk once again demanded observers from the IAEA to be delivered to Zaporizhzhya together with non-armed military observers from the international community.
He declared that IAEA representatives are expected to be on the ground at the close of the month.
The IAEA has been complaining for years that it has been waiting for gain access to the facility and stated that any deployment will require the support of both Moscow and Kiev.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov urged the West to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as Moscow accuses Ukraine of bombarding the nuclear facility.
“We believe that the countries who have absolute influence over the Ukrainian leadership will utilize this to stop further attacks,” Peskov said.
He spoke of the possibility of a “highly risky act” with, in the worst case scenario, devastating consequences for the entire continent of Europe.
In Washington, White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said on Monday that the US continues to “closely observe the activity” since the Department of Energy and the National Nuclear Security Administration report that radiation sensors continue to report information, and thankfully we haven’t seen any indications of any abnormal or increased radiation levels”.
“And we will continue to ask Russia to end any military activities at or in close proximity to Ukrainian nuclear sites and to return complete control back to Ukraine,” she added.
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