Russia-Ukraine war live: world ‘dangerously close to a nuclear accident’ amid Zaporizhzhia attacks

Concerns Rise as Zaporizhzhia Power Plant Comes Under Attack

In a recent development, Ukraine’s UN ambassador, Sergiy Kyslytsya, has accused Russia of carrying out a “well-planned false-flag operation” endangering the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP).

Reports suggest that the power plant was targeted with at least three direct strikes on April 7th, followed by a drone attack at the plant’s training center on April 9th. These incidents have prompted the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to issue a warning about a potential “major escalation” in the nuclear threat.

While Russia has accused Ukrainian drones of carrying out these attacks, Kyiv has firmly rejected these allegations.

During a UN security council meeting last week, Kyslytsya stated, “What happened at the ZNPP on 7th and 9th of April 2024 and thereafter was a well-planned false-flag operation by the Russian Federation. It was aimed at shifting the focus from the above root cause and the only way to remove all threats to nuclear safety and security, and that is de-occupation of the station.”

He further added, “The Russian Federation attempts to hide its own guilt and move our debate to fabricated issues designed to blame Ukraine in the hope of removing the issue of de-occupation from the agenda.”

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant was captured by Russia early on in the two-year-long war. Despite occasional attempts to reconnect to the Russian energy grid, its reactors have been gradually shut down.

On April 13th, the IAEA confirmed that all six reactors of the plant are now in a state of cold shutdown. However, Rafael Mariano Grossi, the head of the IAEA, has voiced concerns over the “reckless attacks” and the increased risk of a “major nuclear accident,” calling for an immediate halt to such actions.

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