Russian troops outside the city of Enerhodar are shelling the Zaporizhzhia power plant, Ukraine’s largest nuclear facility, and a fire has broken out, according to Ukrainian officials.
Ukrainian leaders warn the attacks are creating a “real threat of nuclear danger” at the power station, one of the largest nuclear plants in Europe.
“We demand that they stop the heavy weapons fire,” Andriy Tuz, a spokesperson for the plant, said in a video posted on Telegram. “There is a real threat of nuclear danger in the biggest atomic energy station in Europe.”
If the shelling continues, it could cause a nuclear disaster 10 times worse than Chernobyl, warned Ukrainian Foreign Affairs minister Dmytro Kuleba on Twitter on Thursday.
“Fire has already broke out,” he said. “If it blows up, it will be 10 times larger than Chornobyl! Russians must IMMEDIATELY cease the fire, allow firefighters, establish a security zone!”
Dmytro Orlov, the mayor of Enerhodar, said on Friday on his Telegram channel that the plant was on fire “as a result of continuous enemy shelling of buildings.”
He added that Russia tanks had entered the town of 50,00, and their attacks had resulted in casualties.
Energoatom, the Ukrainian state enterprise that runs the country’s nuclear power stations, said on Thursday the Russian military was “openly terrorizing employees of the station and residents of its satellite city Energodar.”
This is a breaking news story and will be updated with new information.
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