Russia and Ukraine accuse each other of sabotaging the cooling tower of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, raising concerns about nuclear safety in wartime
2024-08-13
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According to a report by Chinanews.com citing TASS, on August 12 local time, the Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation said in a statement that on the evening of the 11th, a cooling tower of the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant was severely damaged in the attack by the Ukrainian army.
On August 11, 2024, local time, a fire broke out in the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant area facilities.
The statement said that at 20:00 and 20:32 local time on the evening of the 11th, the Ukrainian military used drones to carry out two direct attacks on one of the two cooling towers of the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant, causing a fire in the facility. The first responders on the scene put out the fire before 23:30 in the evening. The interior of the cooling tower "suffered serious damage" and "the attack by the Ukrainian armed forces can be characterized as an act of nuclear terrorism committed by the Ukrainian authorities." Relevant experts will assess whether the cooling tower is threatened with collapse when the situation permits.
At the same time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on social media that it was Russia that set the fire in the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant area, and the radiation indicators of the nuclear power plant are currently normal. Zelensky also said that Ukraine is currently waiting for the response of the world and the International Atomic Energy Agency, and "Russia should be held responsible for this."
The Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant is one of the largest nuclear power plants in Europe. After the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, the nuclear power plant was controlled by the Russian army in March 2022. Under the flames of war, the wartime nuclear safety of the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant has attracted continuous attention from the outside world, and Russia and Ukraine have repeatedly accused each other of being the initiators of the relevant attacks.
At the same time, since the Ukrainian army launched an attack on Russia's Kursk region on the 6th, the exchange of fire between Russia and Ukraine in the region has continued, causing concerns about the safety of the Kursk nuclear power plant. The Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation said on the 9th that the Kursk nuclear power plant is operating normally. However, the group's general manager Alexei Likhachev warned that the Ukrainian army's actions have "posed a direct threat" to the safety of the nuclear power plant.
Zaporizhia nuclear power plant infrastructure "suffered first serious damage"
According to a report by TASS on August 11, Yevgeniya Yashina, the Russian communications director at the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant, reported that Ukraine used a suicide drone to attack the nuclear power plant that day, causing damage to the cooling tower. "The infrastructure of the nuclear power plant suffered serious damage for the first time due to the Ukrainian army's attack," but the normal operation of the nuclear power plant was not affected and no casualties were caused.
A video Zelensky posted on social media on the 11th showed a large amount of smoke coming out of a cooling tower in the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant. He also stressed that the radiation indicators of the nuclear power plant were normal, and accused Russia of using the nuclear power plant to "intimidate Ukraine, the whole of Europe and the world." Yevhen Yevtushenko, head of the military administration of the Nikopol region of Ukraine, cited unofficial sources as saying that the Russian army set fire to a large number of car tires in the cooling tower.
On August 12, local time, TASS quoted information provided by Vladimir Rogov, Chairman of the Russian Chamber of Social Sciences' Committee on Sovereignty Issues, as saying that the fire in the cooling tower of the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant had been completely extinguished.
As the Russian-Ukrainian conflict continues, the safety of the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant is frequently threatened by war. In September 2022, due to repeated attacks, the last line connecting the nuclear power plant to the external power grid could no longer work. Since then, the nuclear power plant has continued to supply power to the power grid through backup lines. The Ukrainian State Nuclear Power Company subsequently announced that the nuclear power plant had been completely shut down. For nearly two years, although the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant has been shut down and no longer produces electricity, a large amount of nuclear fuel is still stored. Since September 2022, IAEA experts have begun to work on site to monitor and assess the safety of the nuclear power plant.
On April 7 this year, the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant suffered its first direct attack since November 2022. Subsequently, the last reactor unit of the nuclear power plant that was in hot shutdown was switched to cold shutdown on April 13 local time.
The fire in the cooling tower of the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant on August 11 has once again raised concerns about nuclear safety during wartime. The International Atomic Energy Agency said in a statement that experts heard multiple explosions that night and witnessed billowing black smoke coming out from the northwest of the nuclear power plant. In order to determine the severity and cause of the incident, the expert group has requested immediate access to the cooling tower to assess the damage. The nuclear power plant confirmed to the expert group that there is no risk of increased radiation levels because there is no radioactive material near the area allegedly attacked by the drone. The inspectors then independently verified the radiation levels and confirmed that the radiation levels remained stable.
According to the IAEA, there are two cooling towers on the periphery of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, located on the north side of the cooling pool, and their damage will not directly affect the safety of the six generators that are shut down. However, any fire at or near the site could spread to facilities that are critical to safety.
IAEA Director General Grossi said on the 11th that the incident did not affect nuclear safety. But he also reiterated that any military action against the nuclear power plant would clearly violate the five specific principles set by the UN Security Council in May last year to protect nuclear facilities. Grossi warned: "These reckless attacks endanger the nuclear safety of nuclear power plants and increase the risk of nuclear accidents. They must stop now." However, he did not specify who caused the fire.
In addition, the Russian Satellite News Agency reported on August 9 that the International Atomic Energy Agency mentioned in a statement published on its official website that the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency Grossi said today: "The fire that broke out near the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant has continued to increase the number of problems facing Europe's largest nuclear power plant."
Fighting in Kursk continues, Russia says nuclear power plant safety is under "direct threat"
The Kursk Nuclear Power Plant in Russia is also under threat due to the war. With the Ukrainian army launching a "raid" on Russia's Kursk Oblast on August 6, the safety of the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant, located about 70 kilometers east of Suja, the main battle area between the two armies, has attracted widespread attention. Analysts previously speculated that Russian energy facilities are the main target of Ukraine's action, and that "the more unstable the energy supply, the more unstable the Russian economy."
According to the official website of the Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation, the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant is one of the largest power plants in the central black soil region of Russia. 19 regions in central Russia use the power of this power plant. After the war spread to Kursk, Russia announced on the 7th that it would strengthen security measures for the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant. On August 8, the Russian Permanent Mission to International Organizations in Vienna stated that Russia found shrapnel and fragments at the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant that day, which may be fragments of a downed missile. The shrapnel and fragments were found in the area of the radioactive waste treatment complex.
On August 9, the Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation announced that the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant was still operating normally. The general manager of the group, Likhachev, had a telephone conversation with Grossi on the same day to discuss the situation around the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant. In a statement, the Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation said that the call was organized at the initiative of the Russian side. During the talks, Likhachev emphasized that the Ukrainian military's actions "pose a direct threat" to the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant and the development of the global nuclear power industry.
Grossi called on all parties to exercise maximum restraint on the 9th to avoid accidents in nuclear facilities that could lead to serious radiation consequences. He also said, "There is no reason to worry about nuclear safety at present."
Since August 6, Russia and Ukraine have been fighting in Kursk. On August 10, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations announced that more than 76,000 people have been evacuated from Kursk Oblast to safe areas. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zakharova posted on the social platform Telegram on the 11th that the Russian armed forces will "soon" make a "tough response" to the Ukrainian army's attack on Kursk Oblast.
Zelensky broke his silence in a video speech on the evening of the 10th, and for the first time talked about the Ukrainian army's offensive against Russia's Kursk Oblast, saying that Ukraine is proving its ability to put pressure on Russia. He also revealed that the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian armed forces, Serski, had reported to him the progress of the Ukrainian army's offensive into Russian territory, but did not mention the specific details.
According to the latest battle report of the Russian Ministry of Defense on the 11th, the Russian army fought with the Ukrainian army in the Tolpino, Zhuravli and Obshchy Kolodez areas. CNN inferred from the above statement of the Russian side that the Ukrainian army has advanced about 30 kilometers into Russian territory.
The US Institute for the Study of War pointed out in its latest report on the 10th that according to the geolocation video and Russian reports on that day, the Ukrainian army basically maintained the previously reported positions in Kursk Oblast and made slight advances. Previously, the institute said in its report on the 8th that there were reports that the Ukrainian army appeared about 35 kilometers from the Russian-Ukrainian border, but "almost certainly did not control" the entire area.
The Paper reporter Hou Danwei and intern Zhan Huijuan
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