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Zaporizhia nuclear plant: under fire again and again
Photo: IMAGO/Konstantin Mihalchevskiy / IMAGO/SNA
After the shelling of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, which was occupied by Moscow's troops, no increased radioactive radiation was detected, according to both Russia and Ukraine.
The radiation situation remains normal, the Russian Defense Ministry announced on Sunday in Moscow.
The Ukrainian state operator Enerhoatom made a similar statement.
After the nuclear power plant was temporarily disconnected from the Ukrainian power grid after an emergency shutdown on Thursday, two blocks are back on the grid, according to Enerhoatom.
The nuclear power plant was captured by Moscow's troops in early March, shortly after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
It has been shot at repeatedly for several weeks.
Concern about a nuclear catastrophe is growing internationally.
Moscow is rejecting the handover of the nuclear power plant back to Kyiv, which has been demanded by dozens of states, because Ukraine is said to be unable to guarantee the safety of the plant from a Russian perspective.
Russia and Ukraine accuse each other of shelling the nuclear power plant.
Russia announced at noon that there had been two artillery attacks in the past 24 hours.
A grenade hit near Block 6, others at a pumping station that provides cooling.
The roof of a building in which nuclear material is stored was also hit.
This information cannot be independently verified.
At the same time, the Russian military confirmed an attack on the city of Zaporizhia.
There, "high-precision weapons" hit production halls where Ukrainian Air Force helicopters were being repaired.
The Ukrainian mayor of the Russian-occupied city of Melitopol, Ivan Fedorov, wrote in the Telegram news channel that a Russian military base had been destroyed in the city.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised the country's powerful air force in the fight against Russia's invasion in his video address.
“Russia had hoped to destroy our air force in the first hours of the great invasion.
And of course that was a completely crazy target for the enemy – like many other targets too,” said Zelenskyj in the video message distributed in Kyiv on Saturday.
The pilots are first class and are also praised for their skills by other countries.
Atomic energy experts are waiting to test Zaporizhia
Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) are still waiting for the green light to inspect the site on the southern front line of the war.
IAEA chief Rafael Grossi has warned of the danger of a nuclear disaster that could threaten the environment in Ukraine and beyond.
A few days ago, he expressed hope that his agency was "very, very close" to receiving permission to inspect the facility.
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) has promised Ukraine years of support in the war against Russia if necessary.
"Unfortunately, we have to assume that Ukraine will still need new heavy weapons from its friends next summer," she said.
»Ukraine also defends our freedom, our peace order.
And we support them financially and militarily – for as long as it is necessary.
Point."
Russia invaded the neighboring country on February 24.
Last Wednesday the war lasted exactly half a year.
On the same day, the country also celebrated 31 years of independence (Read all the breaking news on Russia's war in Ukraine here).
kry/dpa/Reuters