UN alerts as Ukraine nuclear power plant bombarded again

• Ukraine and Russia each blame the other for shelling the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant.
• Each side reported ten hits on the office and fire station of Europe’s largest power plant.
• The facility and its surrounding area in central-eastern Ukraine were shelled last week.

There have been reports of additional shelling of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine, with Ukraine and Russia each blaming the other for the attack.

Thursday, each side reported ten hits on the office and fire station of Europe’s largest power plant.

At a meeting of the United Nations Security Council called to discuss the situation, Rafael Grossi, the head of its nuclear watchdog, warned that it was a “grave hour”.

Additionally, UN Secretary General António Guterres stated that it could “lead to disaster.”

China and the United States both demanded that UN experts be granted immediate access to the plant, but similar demands have not been met in the past.

Earlier, the United States also called for the establishment of a demilitarize zone around the plant: : “Fighting near a nuclear plant is dangerous and irresponsible,” a state department spokesperson said.

However, the Russian representative to the United Nations stated that demilitarization was not an option because it would make the plant more susceptible to “provocations” and “terror attacks.”

The facility and its surrounding area in central-eastern Ukraine were shelled last week, with Russia and Ukraine trading accusations about the incident.

Ukraine asserts that Russia has transformed the location into a military base, launching attacks from there in the knowledge that Ukrainian forces are unlikely to retaliate.

Moscow refutes the accusation.

In a statement released on Thursday, Ukraine’s nuclear agency Enerhoatom stated that Russian invaders again shelled the Zaporizhzhia plant and territories near the nuclear facility”.

According to the report, a nearby administrative office and several radiation sensors were damaged. A small grass fire occurred nearby, but no one was injured.

Enerhoatom added that the nearby fire station was also being targeted.

Due to the shelling, it was impossible to replace personnel at the end of their shift, so they were forced to work overtime.

However, the situation was currently under control, according to Enerhoatom.

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