Russia jeopardizing the safety of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant

• UK: Russian forces at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant have likely jeopardized the plant’s security and safety.
• UK believes Russian troops are using the plant as a deterrent against Ukrainian attacks.
• UN nuclear watchdog has warned that the plant is “completely out of control”.

Russian forces at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant have likely jeopardized the plant’s security and safety, according to the UK defence ministry.

The largest nuclear power plant in Europe has been under Russian control since March but remains operational.

According to the UK defence ministry, Russian troops are most likely using the plant as a deterrent against Ukrainian attacks.

The United Nations nuclear watchdog has warned that the plant is “completely out of control.”

The nuclear power plant is located in Ukraine’s south-east, on the eastern bank of the Dnipro River. Although Russia occupies the plant and the surrounding area, it is still run by Ukrainian employees.

It houses radioactive waste and is made up of six pressurised water reactors.

It went on to say that Russian forces have most likely used the facility’s surrounding area, particularly the nearby city of Enerhodar, to rest their forces, knowing that the plant and surrounding area cannot be easily attacked without risking a nuclear disaster.

The UK’s warnings came a day after the Associated Press quoted Rafael Grossi, the head of the UN’s nuclear agency, as saying there is “a catalogue of things [in Zaporizhzhia] that should never be happening in any nuclear facility.”

He went on to say that the plant needed an inspection and repairs.

Ukraine has previously stated that Russian forces have stationed troops and military equipment on the grounds of the Zaporizhzhia power station.

According to the US ambassador to Ukraine, “credible reports” suggest that Russian forces are using the plant “as the equivalent of a nuclear shield, firing at Ukrainians from around the plant.”

“They shoot at us, and there is nothing we can do,” a Nikopol resident told the New York Times.

However, a Russian-installed official in the region told Reuters that Ukrainian forces are attacking the plant with Western-supplied weapons.

When the plant was seized, Russia shelled it, causing an international outcry.

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