“This time it was possible to prevent a nuclear disaster by a miracle, but miracles cannot last forever,” Energoatom said after the terrorist attacks at the Zaporizhia NPP, for which Moscow and Kyiv blame each other.

A day later, the Ukrainian nuclear regulator held an emergency meeting, at which it concluded that “the military presence of the Russians and their unpredictable actions could have catastrophic consequences,” and operational plans were drawn up taking into account the experience of the accident at the Fukushima nuclear power plant. it would be impossible to meet. These are additional security measures, fire extinguishing, as well as protection of personnel and the population on the territory.

A military arsenal location can cause serious damage through accidental use or detonation with the risk of radiation exposure in a very short time to both personnel and the public.

“Taking this into account and in accordance with the requirements of the current legislation, your Regulatory Council has decided to recognize the actions of the Russian army in the Zaporizhzhya NPP area and the placement of military equipment with ammunition, weapons and explosives. directly near nuclear facilities as an act of nuclear terrorism,” the department’s official statement said.

Earlier, the head of NAEC “Energoatom” called for the demilitarization of Zaporizhzhya NPP, saying that a peacekeeping group should be in place.

Kyiv accuses of “nuclear terror”. Moscow talks about “catastrophic consequences” for Europe

The Zaporizhzhia power plant, located in southern Ukraine and controlled by Russian forces since the first days of the invasion, has been the target of two bombings in recent days that have hit some of its installations.

Kyiv and Moscow blame each other for these strikes.

Kyiv blamed Russia for another explosion near the plant on Saturday, which damaged three radiation sensors and injured two workers. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi on Sunday called for a stronger international response to what he called Russian “nuclear terror” following the bombing of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

At the same time, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) expressed serious concern about the explosion in Zaporizhzhia, saying that the action indicates the risk of a nuclear disaster.

The Russian Defense Ministry blamed Ukrainian forces for bombings in the area that damaged a high-voltage power line, creating a surge that tripped a security system that cut off power.

The bombing of the Zaporizhia NPP “by the Ukrainian armed forces” is “potentially extremely dangerous” and “could have catastrophic consequences for a large territory, including European territory,” Russian presidential spokesman Dmytro Peskov told reporters on Monday.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres stressed on Monday that “any attack on nuclear power plants is suicide.”

At the same time, the United States asked Russia to stop military operations in the areas where the nuclear power plants are located.

• Zaporizhzhya is the largest of four nuclear power plants in Ukraine, which together provide about half of the electricity in the country. The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is also the largest in Europe.
• According to an IAEA database cited by Reuters, the six Zaporizhzhia units have a net capacity of 950 megawatts, or a total of 5.7 gigawatts. The first power unit was connected to the network in 1984, the last – in 1995.
• The plant is of strategic importance to Russia, as it is located just 200 km from Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014. Zaporozhye was captured by Russian troops at the beginning of the war, but is still operated by Ukrainian technicians.
• The attacks damaged a high-voltage power line at the facility, forcing its operators to shut down the reactor, despite the fact that no radioactive leak was detected.