Russian forces attacked and subsequently seized control of a massive nuclear power plant in Ukraine early Friday.
Russian projectiles at the facility caused a fire, which was later extinguished by Ukrainian State Emergency Service units, according to Ukraine’s State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate. The agency also said that while Russian forces had taken control of the plant, it was still being operated by its regular staff.
The International Atomic Energy Agency stated that the safety systems of the plant’s six reactors were not affected and there was no release of radioactive material. Two people were reported injured.
The Zaporizhzhia facility is the largest power plant in all of Europe, according to Ukraine’s interior minister adviser Anton Gerashchenko. Ukrainian officials had been urging Russian troops to stay away from the plant, warning that shelling the power station could result in a nuclear disaster.
“Firing shells in the area of a nuclear power plant violates the fundamental principle that the physical integrity of nuclear facilities must be maintained and kept safe at all time,” Rafael Mario Grossi, the IAEA’s director general, said.
Source: buzzfeed