News 360 8 August 2022 - by Daniel Stewart
Ukrainian and Russian authorities have appealed for help from other governments to curb the escalating attacks around the Zaporiyia nuclear power plant, for which both governments blame each other, fearing that the situation could trigger an atomic disaster.
"There is no country in the world that can feel safe if a terrorist state bombs a nuclear plant," said the Ukrainian president, Volodimir Zelenski, who recalled that, "if something irreparable happens," radiation will spread throughout Europe. He therefore called for a response "now" from the international community.
The director of the Ukrainian firm Energoatom, Petro Kotin, also expressed on Monday his fear "that the situation will get out of control and be like Fukushima or Chernobyl", referring to the two nuclear disasters in history, according to the UNIAN news agency.
In this regard, he warned that the Zaporiyia power plant, the largest in Europe, remains connected to the electricity system by a single line, which is "dangerous" since, if it is cut off from the system definitively, the facilities would be exposed.
Moscow, for its part, blames Kiev for the escalation. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has called on countries "with absolute influence" over the Ukrainian authorities to intercede to put an end to the attacks, according to the Sputnik agency.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has warned that an attack on the Zaporiyia nuclear power plant would be "suicidal" and urged the parties to cease the attacks.
